Headline

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has a plan to stop or reduce Chinese interference in its resupply missions to its outposts in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), its spokesman said Saturday, as he slammed China’s latest “indisputable sovereignty” claim over the Spratly Islands. AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar …

THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Saturday repudiated China’s claim of “indisputable sovereignty” over the Ayungin Shoal, a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands that is located 105 nautical miles west of Palawan. “The use of the word ‘indisputable’ is itself disputable for the reason that number one, …

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is verifying the reported abduction of Filipino workers allegedly by Hamas militants who have launched a massive attack on Israel. Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv received “unconfirmed reports” that some Filipinos working near the Israeli border …

NIA: Huge threat to irrigation systems in 7 regions About 1.5 million metric tons of palay (unhusked rice) could be lost due to El Niño’s threat to irrigation systems, a projection by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) showed. Josephine Salazar, NIA officer-in-charge and Deputy Administrator for Engineering and Operations Sector, …

Israeli soldiers fought to repel Hamas militants Sunday and exchanged fire with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, raising the prospect of a broader regional conflagration a day after an unprecedented surprise attack on southern Israel by Palestinian militants.  Death toll in Israel tops 300, similar number of fatalities in Gaza; …

Economic data has been surprisingly resilient, but financial markets don’t believe the numbers. What messages and warnings are markets sending — and should we be heeding them?  Economic data has been resilient, but financial markets don’t believe the numbers. Financial markets are not the economy and the economy is not …

The death toll from strong earthquakes that shook western Afghanistan has risen to 2,060, a Taliban government spokesperson said Sunday.  6 villages reported destroyed, hundreds of people feared buried under debris. The death toll from strong earthquakes that shook western Afghanistan has risen to 2,060, a Taliban government spokesperson said …

Speaker Martin Romualdez on Friday said there was no quarrel between the House of Representatives and Vice President Sara Duterte, after lawmakers said they would redistribute confidential funds sought by the offices she leads to agencies that have a direct national security function. “I think people are reading too much …

DEFENSE Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. believes it will not be appropriate for the Philippines to invoke its defense treaty with the United States at this time when run-ins between Chinese and Philippine ships in the West Philippine Sea are becoming more frequent. “I think it is not appropriate at …

DFA protests latest Ayungin incident ABOARD BRP SINDANGAN: A Chinese coast guard ship came within 3 feet of colliding with a Philippine patrol ship it was trying to block in the South China Sea, in an alarming incident that intensified fears that territorial disputes in the waters could spark a …