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The Philippines
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The Philippines

The Philippines
The Philippines
Latest news, in-depth features and opinion on the Philippines, covering politics, economy, society, and Manila’s relationships with China and its Southeast Asian neighbours.
The MQ-9 Reaper has been deployed as part of the US military’s surveillance network in the Indo-Pacific. Photo: Reuters
China's military weapons

Why the growing network of American MQ-9 drones is a challenge for China

Reapers can carry out both reconnaissance and strike missions and an increasing number of US allies and partners are buying them.

Rodrigo Duterte

ICC naming of Duterte’s allies sharpens Philippines’ political fault lines

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South China Sea

Opinion | Can Manila’s South China Sea strategy of defiance and diplomacy hold?

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ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

ICE releases detained Filipino after ‘unreasonable failures of care’

Greggy Sorio, a Filipino green card holder who lost a toe and part of his foot to a bone infection, wins release following medical neglect.

Greggy Sorio. Photo: Tanggol Migrante Movement
Rodrigo Duterte

Philippine senators Go, Dela Rosa helped Duterte wage drug war: ICC prosecutors

The two sitting senators are among eight officials linked to the ex-president’s crimes against humanity charges, an ICC document says.

Asean

Asian Angle | How Asean can resolve its Myanmar dilemma post-election

Asean should not discard the Five-Point Consensus, but translate it into a politically astute strategy of conditional engagement.

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Rodrigo Duterte

Too popular to impeach? Philippine efforts to unseat Duterte-Carpio face snags

There is some uncertainty over whether President Marcos’ allies would be able to make up the numbers to support the complaints.

Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte Carpio leaves the Department of Justice after filing a response to the National Bureau of Investigation complaint over her alleged threat to President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr on May 9, 2025. Photo: AFP
United States

Philippines’ AI reckoning puts millions of jobs on the line

The US$30 billion outsourcing sector is fighting to adapt, leaving millions of workers with a stark choice: upskill or be left behind.

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Ferdinand Marcos Jnr

Philippines flood fund theft of ‘people’s money’ forces tax rethink

Abolishing the much maligned travel tax is a good start but the whole system needs an overhaul, critics say.

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Social media

Almost half of Filipinos willing to trust cheating partners again, survey says

The survey covers six types of cheating: physical, emotional, cyber, object and financial infidelity, as well as micro-cheating.

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About 6 per cent of Filipinos have experienced cyber cheating, according to a survey. Photo: Shutterstock
South China Sea

The Philippines rebukes China over travel ban on Kalayaan officials

Beijing responds to local government declaration that the Chinese ambassador is persona non grata.

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Chinese and Philippine coastguards have tussled repeatedly over the South China Sea. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard via AP
Social media

‘We didn’t cry easily’: Philippine senator slammed for calling Gen Z ‘weak’

Robin Padilla was criticised for downplaying depression and not being sensitive to the social and economic problems faced by young Filipinos.

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China-Philippines relations

Amid Chinese embassy row, Philippines eyes boosting Spratlys population

Filipino leaders from Kalayaan and Chinese embassy officials in Manila have clashed over entry bans for personnel on either side.

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US-China relations

US establishes new army foothold in Southeast Asia to ‘contain China’: analyst

US deploys new rotational force to Southeast Asian ally, a move experts say is aimed at deterring China and supporting Typhon missile system.

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Members of the US Army Rotational Force-Philippines and the Marine Rotational Force-Southeast Asia hold a meeting at Camp Aguinaldo in the Philippines on January 12. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Letters | Why cardiovascular health is an economic imperative for Asia

Readers discuss a quiet threat to regional economies, conflicts over port facilities in Panama and Australia, and Malaysia-Indonesia border demarcation.

A man works out along the East Coast Boardwalk in North Point on January 22. Photo: Sam Tsang
South China Sea

How Manila’s ‘naming and shaming’ challenges Beijing’s South China Sea stance

Analysts say the Philippines’ approach of ‘assertive transparency’ may be wearing thin at home and in the region.

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South China Sea

Leaked letter spotlights Philippines’ South China Sea tug of war

The letter by Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro warns against public exchanges that could narrow the country’s ‘diplomatic space’.

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Singapore

Philippines vows aid for Filipino assaulted in Singapore shopping centre

‘It’s assault, physical assault. It’s a crime anywhere in the world, especially in Singapore,’ said a Philippine labour official.

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A still from a social media video showing the assault at a shopping centre in Singapore. Photo: Handout
South China Sea

The Philippines wants to seal South China Sea code of conduct. Can it deliver?

As 2026 Asean chair, Manila has highlighted its push to finalise within its term a code of conduct covering the contested waters.

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China Conference: Southeast Asia

Ambassador urges ‘shared prosperity’ in China-Asean ties as protectionism grows

Wang Qing says both sides should uphold multilateralism and oppose external interference, even as Asean members seek trade deals with US.

Hong Kong tourism

‘Brilliant’ retail and dining revenue gives Hong Kong’s Ngong Ping 360 boost

Operator will introduce cable car night rides for the first time to headline its 20th anniversary celebrations.

Passengers enjoy a ride on the Ngong Ping 360 cable car. Photo: Elson Li
Foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s Li Ka Shing Foundation gifts 5,000 Disneyland tickets to domestic helpers

Expanded charity scheme will treat workers from six nations to free day at the theme park with meals and transport covered.

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The Li Ka Shing Foundation and the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort are providing 5,000 domestic helpers with a free visit to the theme park. Photo: Jonathan Wong
South China Sea

Why High Seas Treaty could change ‘rules of the game’ in South China Sea row

Effective January 17, the framework protects unique marine biodiversity and ecosystems in areas beyond any individual country’s jurisdiction.

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SCMP Exclusives

Exclusive | Manila ‘will consider’ joining Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’: Philippine envoy to US

Jose Manuel Romualdez says he delivered the invite in person to President Marcos, who is mulling the idea.

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Australia

Why Australia is picking up the tab for Philippine military upgrades

Canberra’s security interests are more closely aligned with Manila than those of Washington, observers say.

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Filipino and Australian troops fire a howitzer during a joint military exercise in Laur, Nueva Ecija province, Philippines, last August. Photo: Reuters
South China Sea

China, Philippines hold first talks in over a year: South China Sea thaw ahead?

Philippine president rejects calls for Manila to declare Chinese ambassador persona non grata even as frictions spike in South China Sea.

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Chinese and Philippine officials hold talks in Cebu on January 29. Photo: X/Chinaembmanila
Editor's Letter

This week in PostMag: Lunar New Year and the meaning of home

As the Fire Horse approaches, this issue looks at the emotional pull of tradition – from mahjong tables to ancestral villages.

Cambodia

Scripts, bank details and military rules: Cambodian scam compound secrets

Mostly run by Chinese criminal gangs and staffed partly by trafficking victims, these complexes have proliferated across Indochina.

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