By Sam Beltran As the Philippines wraps up a tumultuous year punctuated by colourful barbs thrown across warring political houses, an ongoing corruption scandal surrounding flood control projects threatens to derail President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s administration. Externally, Manila has been embroiled all year in a long-standing territorial row with Beijing in the South China Sea […]
Read MoreBy Raissa Robles Washington is set to deepen its defence support for the Philippines after approving billions of dollars for a loan and a grant to its Southeast Asian ally next year to counter what an American senator has called “serious threats” from China and its partners. Philippine defence officials have welcomed the approval by […]
Read MoreBy Raissa Robles A plunder complaint filed against Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio has reopened scrutiny of her use of “confidential funds” and opened a new legal front in a political stand-off that could shape the early dynamics of the 2028 presidential race. A highly placed source, who told This Week in Asia about the complaint […]
Read MoreMANILA: Three Filipino fishermen were injured when China Coast Guard vessels sprayed their boats with water cannons and cut their anchor lines in a disputed area of the South China Sea, Philippine authorities said Saturday. Beijing said Friday it had taken “necessary control measures,” involved about 20 Philippine fishing boats near the flashpoint Sabina Shoal, […]
Read MoreBy Sam Beltran An Italian defence company’s push to sell Eurofighter Typhoon jets to the Philippines could open the door to broader cooperation between Rome and Manila, with analysts calling the aircraft a promising choice for the country’s military modernisation. Leonardo, a government-linked company, said it was committed to investing in the Philippines’ defence capabilities […]
Read MoreA group of civilians including two former government officials, filed a corruption complaint against Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte, in a fresh political challenge for the estranged deputy of President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr. The complaint, filed with the Ombudsman’s office on Friday, alleged that Duterte and 15 other officials, misused 612.5 million pesos (US$10.4 million) in […]
Read MoreBy Raissa Robles A former spokesman for Rodrigo Duterte has claimed that the International Criminal Court is preparing to arrest two of the ex-Philippine leader’s closest allies over his administration’s bloody war on drugs. Harry Roque told This Week in Asia that President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr intended to use such arrests to “destroy the [political] […]
Read MoreBy Raissa Robles A fugitive former Philippine lawmaker has accused President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr of directing him to add 100 billion pesos (US$1.7 billion) worth of dubious public works projects to the national budget, a claim that throws new fuel on the corruption scandal that has dogged his administration for months. Analysts say the explosive […]
Read MoreMANILA: Many powerful politicians linked to corruption in Philippine flood control projects will be in jail by Christmas, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Thursday, after dozens of officials were named as suspects in a multibillion-dollar graft scandal. Public outrage has grown since August in the Philippines, after an audit ordered by Marcos revealed that […]
Read MoreOne of the year’s most powerful storms in the Philippines, Super Typhoon Fung-wong has killed four people, authorities said today (10 November), as they began assessing damage after its fury abated, though no reports of major destruction have flowed in yet. More than a million people were evacuated before Fung-wong hit land yesterday, unleashing fierce […]
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