SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered a security-centric speech before the Australian Parliament on Thursday, February 29, joining an elite list of foreign leaders who had addressed the legislative body in the past. “We have long known that our prosperity and development are anchored on the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific. […]
SUMMARY When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. steps onto the podium of Australia’s House of Representatives, he will also officially become a member of a very exclusive club of select world leaders invited to address the highest governing body in Canberra. The Philippine president is set to address what Bloomberg has described as a “rare” joint […]
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – Shadowing and blocking maneuvers by China in the West Philippine Sea are nothing new for personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), nor for Philippine journalists who are practically regulars in missions to those waters as part of the government’s “transparency initiative.” But what is new in February 2024 is where […]
MANILA, Philippines – A study by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) showed that at least 20,000 acres of reef in the South China Sea have been destroyed by China through dredging, landfill, and illegal giant clam harvests. Estimated figures for damage caused by other claimant […]
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Thursday, February 22, that its Chinese counterpart is being “inaccurate” in claiming that it had “repelled” a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) ship that was patrolling Bajo de Masinloc, a feature some 100 nautical miles off the coast of Zambales. According to […]
SUMMARY Claim: Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela declared all-out war on China over tensions in the West Philippine Sea. Why we fact-checked this: The claim was made in the title and thumbnail of a YouTube video posted on February 16. As of writing, it has gained 25,117 views, 560 likes, and 139 […]
SUMMARY The Philippine government said on Monday, February 19, that it would “validate and investigate” reports from Filipino fisherfolk of their foreign counterparts using cyanide to fish in Bajo de Masinloc, a shoal that’s supposed to be a shared fishing ground for several nationalities. Fresh off his oath-taking as personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary, […]
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – After vowing, repeatedly, that the Philippine government’s innovative “transparency initiative” would continue in the West Philippine Sea, Philippine authorities put the spotlight on another flashpoint for Manila and Beijing: Bajo de Masinloc, a shoal located some 124 nautical miles off the coast of Zambales. Over the weekend, the Philippine Coast Guard […]
SUMMARY Just a few days before Christmas, on December 8, we embarked on our journey aboard the M/V Kapitan Felix Oca for the first civilian convoy mission to the West Philippine Sea. It was organized by the Atin Ito Coalition, led by the Akbayan Party and by different civil society organizations, set out to deliver […]
SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines is firmly committed to negotiations for a code of conduct between China and Southeast Asian countries to avert confrontations in the South China Sea, its foreign minister said on Thursday, February 15. Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo also said tensions in the South China Sea were not all about a […]