Duterte foreign policy ‘unfortunate,’ says ex-DFA chief Del Rosario
MANILA — “Unfortunate.” This was former foreign affairs secretary Albert del Rosario’s assessment of the policy direction being pursued by the Duterte administration, as the think-tank named after him...
View ArticleDuterte threatens to stop EDCA
President Duterte threatened on Sunday (Oct. 2), to stop the implementation of the Philippines-US Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) as he revealed he would soon announce a new policy that...
View ArticleUS Embassy: No plan to bring back American bases in PH
The US has no plans of reopening military bases in the Philippines and nowhere in the PH-US Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) provides for such, according to the US Embassy in its Tuesday...
View ArticleDuterte team to visit US, pitch war on drugs as good for business
The Duterte administration’s economic team will be in full force in the US this week to convince not only investors but also the international media that the “war on drugs” is ultimately aimed at...
View ArticleDuterte policy to erode US influence in South China Sea – study
The Duterte administration’s “independent” foreign policy should not be belittled or underestimated, as it could “substantially” undermine the influence of the United States, a long-time ally and...
View ArticleDuterte explains why …’I’ll never kneel before Americans’
President Rodrigo Duterte resumed his tirade against the United States and its allies who have been criticizing him for his bloody war on drugs. “For the life of me, I’d rather kneel before the king of...
View ArticleDuterte tells Leni, execs on aid: ‘Crumbs’ not worthy of PH dignity, future
President Duterte said on Thursday, he would rather see the United States and the European Union bring their assistance elsewhere instead of intervening with the Philippine government's war on drugs....
View ArticleDuterte trip to China to focus on non-military ties – Yasay
President Duterte's trip to China tentatively set on Oct. 17 will be a confidence-building visit with the aim to "strengthen and promote other aspects of “the country's relationship with China,”...
View Article‘Hyperbole,’ solon says of Duterte’s vow to cut ties with US
Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman dismissed as “hyperbole” the announcement of President Rodrigo Duterte that he had decided to cut economic and military ties with the United States, a former colonial master of...
View ArticleDuterte comes home from ‘productive’ China trip
President Rodrigo Duterte came home late Friday night from his four-day state visit to China, which he said turned out to be “productive.” At a televised news briefing in Davao City, his hometown, he...
View ArticleDuterte: Separation with US doesn’t mean cutting diplomatic ties
Separation with the United States would not mean severing diplomatic ties with it, as this would not be good for Filipinos, President Rodrigo Duterte said at a news conference shortly after arriving...
View ArticleDuterte wary of ‘Arab missionaries’ in Mindanao, fears ISIS entry in PH
President Duterte expressed apprehension over what he called a looming crisis, which he described as the “ISIS disease.” “I see a looming problem, three to seven years from now, we will have a problem...
View ArticleDuterte: US best supplier of arms, defense equipment to PH
President Duterte affirmed his regard for the United States as the country's strongest ally. He said the US would be the best supplier of arms and defense equipment to the Philippines. The post...
View ArticleDuterte: No apologies for remarks on Goldberg
President Duterte refused to apologize for his tirade against US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg, saying it was not becoming of the envoy to dip his fingers in internal issues such as the...
View ArticleDuterte tells Army: Prepare for terror, ISIS problem
President Duterte underscored the need to prepare the country's Armed Forces against the threat of terrorism. "I see the looming problem. In three to seven years, we will have a problem with ISIS," the...
View ArticleTap help of naval powers to make China pay for marine damage
Former foreign affairs secretary Albert Del Rosario urged the Duterte administration to engage naval powers in implementing the arbitration ruling that has made China accountable for massive marine...
View ArticleLegarda backs Duterte’s call for ‘justice’ in climate pact
The President only wants what the world’s most disaster prone nations also seek: climate justice. Sen. Loren Legarda, the chamber’s lead climate advocate, said Monday that President Duterte’s call for...
View ArticleMalaysia PM Najib wants Abu Sayyaf attacks stopped
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has raised his "grave concern" over the security situation in Southeast Asia amid the kidnapping activities of the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group in Mindanao,...
View ArticleDuterte ready to answer UN queries on drug killings
President Duterte dared United Nations (UN) experts to come to the Philippines and face him in a public meeting where he would answer all their questions on drug-related extrajudicial killings. “I...
View ArticleDuterte on UN pullout: Can’t you take a joke?
While he was angry at the United Nations for commenting on the spate of drug-related killings in the country, President Duterte said his threat to leave the world body was said in jest. “Can’t you take...
View ArticlePH, China eye intensified trade, financial ties
Despite a maritime dispute in the West Philippine Sea, the Philippines and China want closer trade and financial ties, according to the Department of Finance (DOF). Specifically, the Philippine and...
View ArticleDuterte seeks ASEAN help to stop terrorism
President Duterte will gather support from member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in addressing terrorism. “Recent events have shown that there are elements out there who seek...
View ArticleDuterte to respect Indonesia’s decision on Mary Jane Veloso
President Duterte said on Monday he would mercy for Mary Jane Veloso, who has been in the death row in Indonesia for drug trafficking for years now. “I may just have to ask (Indonesian President Joko)...
View ArticleDuterte to Obama: Don’t lecture me on rights, PH not a US colony
President Duterte said any lecture about human rights and extra-judicial killings during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit in Vientiane, Laos, would be a disrespect to him and...
View ArticleDuterte ‘slighted’ by US State Dept’s statements on war vs drugs
President Duterte said on Monday he felt slighted when the US State Department issued statements regarding his administration’s ruthless war on illegal drugs. The President, who met with a group of...
View ArticleDuterte attack on Obama, Davao blast yet to sour market – BSP
Neither last week’s deadly blast in Davao City nor President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s profanity-laced remarks against US President Barack Obama have been making domestic markets jittery as the economy...
View ArticleDuterte, Obama briefly talk before Asean dinner
President Duterte briefly spoke with US President Barack Obama ahead of the dala dinner for state leaders attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit on Wednesday night. Foreign...
View ArticleAmerican traders: Duterte words, drug slays may harm PH-US ties
American business leaders in the country warned on Thursday about recent developments that could harm the “traditionally excellent bilateral relations between the United States and the Philippines.” In...
View ArticleUN chief asks ASEAN: Ratify climate change pact
United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon urged Asean countries, including the Philippines, on Thursday, to ratify the Paris Agreement on Climate Change within the year to help bring it closer to...
View ArticleDuterte commitment crucial in release of Sekkingstad – envoy
Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad and Norway's ambassador to the Philippines Erik Forner thanked President Duterte for Sekkingstad's safe release from the Abu Sayyaf, with Forner acknowledging Duterte's...
View ArticleIndonesian urges Duterte: Finish off Abu Sayyaf
Teo Doros Kofong, one of the three Indonesians who were freed by their Abu Sayyaf captors, urged the government to finished off the bandit group. Kofong, in a press briefing late Sunday afternoon, said...
View ArticleMNLF seen as key to safe release of Abu Sayyaf captives
Both the Indonesian government and the Philippine military recognized the big role of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in Saturday's release of four kidnap victims -- a Norwegian and three...
View ArticleDuterte turns ire on EU, calls them hypocrites and uses ‘F’ word
President Duterte let loose a fresh string of tirades against the European Union, on Tuesday, after it called for a halt to extrajudicial killings of drug suspects in the Philippines. “I read the...
View ArticlePH needs US to protect sea claims – Duterte
The Philippines needs the United States for the South China Sea, where it remains locked in a territorial dispute with China, according to President Duterte. Mr. Duterte made the statement on Tuesday,...
View ArticleDuterte policies ‘clear and consistent’ from start – Dominguez
Contrary to debt watcher S&P Global Ratings’ assessment that "the stability and predictability of policy-making has diminished somewhat” under President Rodrigo R. Duterte, Finance Secretary Carlos...
View ArticleDuterte refuses to be reprimanded by international bodies
If he was still a city mayor, Rodrigo Duterte could take criticism from international bodies. But as Philippine president, he would not allow himself to be reprimanded by them, Duterte said on...
View ArticleNorwegian freed by Abu Sayyaf flies home
The Norwegian national who was abducted and held by the Abu Sayyaf for nearly a year flew home Thursday afternoon. The lanky Kjartan Sekkingstad, now clean-shaven, boarded at around 1:30 p.m. Thai...
View ArticlePH to consult UN on conduct of rights probe – DFA
The Philippine government will not restrict the United Nations rapporteurs who will visit the country to investigate alleged cases of human rights violations and extrajudicial killings of drug...
View ArticlePH economy ‘bright star to falling star’– minority
From “bright star to falling star.” This was how opposition lawmakers described on Tuesday, the country’s state, as they expressed concern over how President Duterte’s “reckless utterances” as well as...
View Article‘Upheaval,’ anti-market policies unlikely in PH under Duterte – think tank
The Philippines is seen at a “low” risk of facing leadership upheaval, junking market-friendly policies and succumbing to violent change and major conflict despite escalating political noise around the...
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