Philippines

Manila, Oct 7 (AP) Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been reaffirming ties with the US in a key turnaround from the often-hostile demeanour his predecessor displayed toward Manila's treaty ally.

Marcos Jr., who marks his 100th day in office on Saturday, inherited daunting problems at home, including a coronavirus pandemic-battered economy, soaring inflation, unemployment and mounting foreign and domestic debt, in addition to longstanding poverty and decades-old insurgencies.

MANILA, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Over 3,000 Philippine and U.S. troops on Monday kicked off a series of joint military drills to sharpen their "interoperability in conducting combined tactical readiness."

Acting Philippine Navy chief Rear Admiral Bernard Valencia said 630 Philippine troops, mainly from the marines, and 2,550 U.S. marine soldiers are participating in the 12-day annual exercises, dubbed KAMANDAG 6. Japanese and South Korean troops are taking part as observers, he added.

MANILA, Sept 30 (NNN-PNA) – The Asian Development Bank (ADB), said today that, it has approved a financial project, to support restoration, conservation and management of coral reefs in four countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific region.

The Manila-based bank said, the project will develop climate risk financing and insurance solutions, to protect coral reef ecosystems in Fiji, Indonesia, the Philippines and the Solomon Islands.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A powerful typhoon shifted and abruptly gained strength Sunday as it blew closer to the northeastern Philippines, prompting evacuations from high-risk villages and the capital, which could be sideswiped by the storm, officials said.

Typhoon Noru was swirling at sea about 115 kilometers (71 miles) east of Infanta town in Quezon province with sustained winds of 195 kilometers (121 miles per hour) and gusts of up to 240 kph (149 mph) at midafternoon. Forecasters expect it to smash into the coast later Sunday.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is extending a state of calamity declared by his predecessor more than two years ago to deal with continuing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, an official said Monday.

Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles also said a previously announced plan to lift the compulsory wearing of masks outdoors will take effect immediately throughout the country, except in crowded areas where people cannot observe social distancing.

MANILA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos is scheduled to visit Indonesia and Singapore next month in his first overseas trips since taking office on June 30, Press Secretary Rose Beatrix Cruz-Angeles said on Friday.

In a virtual news conference, Angeles said Marcos will be in Indonesia from Sept. 4 to 6 and in Singapore from Sept. 6 to 7.

Like the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which also includes Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

MANILA, Aug 13 (NNN-PNA) – An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8, rattled Maguindanao province, in the southern Philippines this afternoon, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.

The institute said, the quake, which occurred at 2:25 p.m. local time (0625 GMT), hit at a depth of 62 km, about 11 km north-west of South Upi town.

The tremor was also felt in nearby cities of Cotabato, General Santos, Davao, and Kidapawan, on Mindanao island. The institute said, the tectonic quake will trigger aftershocks but not cause any damage.

MANILA, Aug 6 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused China of "irresponsible steps" on Saturday by halting key communication channels with Washington, and said its Taiwan actions showed a move from prioritising peaceful resolution towards use of force.

His comments came as Chinese aircraft and warships practised on Saturday for an attack on Taiwan, island officials said, part of a raft of steps taken by Beijing after a visit by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier this week.

MANILA, Aug 1 (Reuters) - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Monday ruled out the Philippines rejoining the International Criminal Court (ICC), whose prosecutor plans to resume an investigation into the previous government's bloody "war on drugs".

The Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019, with then President Rodrigo Duterte accusing it of prejudice by starting a preliminary examination into thousands of killings by police.

MANILA, July 29 (Reuters) - The Philippines has reported its first case of the monkeypox virus, detected in a citizen who returned from abroad earlier this month, a health ministry official said on Friday.

The 31-year-old had recovered but was isolating at home, while 10 people identified as close contacts including three from the patient's household had been ordered to quarantine, said Department of Health Undersecretary Beverly Ho.

The person had previously travelled to countries with documented monkeypox cases, said Ho, without elaborating.