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GMA Network
2 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Chinese vessel runs aground off Pag-asa Island
A Chinese fishing vessel ran aground just kilometers from Pag-asa Island, part of the Kalayaan Island Group in the West Philippine Sea where the Philippines maintains its longstanding sovereignty and jurisdiction, on Saturday afternoon amid stormy weather conditions. The vessel was reported to have run aground during the low tide on Saturday, and was eventually pulled by two other Chinese fishing vessels past 5 p.m. the same day, according to the Kalayaan Island Group local government unit. 'May mga naiwan pa nga doon na parang floating buoy. Hindi rin nila mapuntahan gawa ng malakas daw 'yung alon,' Kalayaan Island Group councilor MP Albayda said in a report by Chino Gaston on GMA's '24 Oras Weekend' on Sunday. 'May humilang dalawa na Chinese fishing militia rin, tapos ang ano nila ay paatras, paatras 'yung hila ng nabahurang barko,' he added. (There were floating buoys that were left. They couldn't go immediately because the waves were strong. There were two Chinese fishing militia vessels that towed the grounded vessel backwards.) Photos of the vessel were uploaded on social media by KIG resident Larry Hugo, who expressed doubts whether the vessel accidentally ran aground or if this was intentional. The incident prompted Filipino authorities to respond, with the Philippine Coast Guard deploying its force to check on the vessel. 'Na-report din po 'yan ng mga local fisherfolk sa authorities, so eventually, may naging actions po ang ating Coast Guard which is pinuntahan po nila, nag-deploy po sila ng force, pwersa nila, para i-check,' Naval Task Force 42 spokesperson Capt. Elaine Rose Collado said in the same report. (Local fisherfolk reported this to authorities so eventually, the Coast Guard took actions — they deployed their forces to check.) Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro over the weekend also flew to Balabac, Palawan to inspect the location of a planned airbase and naval station. 'Recognized international sea lane dito so minsan, dumadaan talaga dito ang mga Chinese vessels at eto, 'pag hindi nadama or hindi nagkaroon ng presence dito, napakadali na abusuhin ng foreign influence and other inappropriate illegal activities dito,' he said. (This is a recognized international sea lane so sometimes, Chinese vessels really pass through here. If there is no presence felt here, it is easy for foreign influence to abuse it or for other inappropriate illegal activities to be done here.) Balabac, Palawan is one of the locations of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites between the Philippines and the United States, which gives the US military access to Philippine bases for joint training, along with humanitarian and disaster relief efforts. To recall, the Philippines in 2013 challenged China over its claims on the West Philippine Sea, where Manila scored a victory and a landmark ruling by an international tribunal which invalidated Beijing's claims. China has refused to acknowledge the Permanent Court of Arbitration's 2016 ruling that invalidated its nine-dash line. Its government in 2022 claimed that it will continue to adhere to what it described as a 'friendly consultation' with the Philippines after several Chinese vessels have been found 'swarming' areas in the West Philippine Sea. The Philippines has already filed over 150 diplomatic protests against China regarding the territorial dispute under the administration of President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. —Jon Viktor Cabuenas/RF, GMA Integrated News
South China Morning Post
21-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
US or China? 2 Philippine provinces show the local face of a global power struggle
A new study has shed light on how the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China is playing out at the local level in the Philippines , with provincial support for national security strategies often shaped by economic ties and exposure to Chinese activities in the South China Sea. Advertisement The report by the University of the Philippines, titled 'Localization of the United States–China Rivalry: Cases from the Philippines', examined the influence of both superpowers in Cagayan and Palawan, two provinces that host sites accessible to American forces under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). 'Big-power influence in the Philippines trickles down to the local government level because national foreign policy preferences are not diffused equally across the country,' the study said. It added that political, economic, diplomatic and military benefits from either side served as 'powerful incentives for local leaders'. Cagayan lies in the far north, facing Taiwan across the Luzon Strait, while Palawan is the westernmost province, near the West Philippine Sea – Manila's term for its exclusive economic zone within the contested South China Sea Though both provinces host EDCA sites, researchers observed stark differences in how they viewed China 's role. In Cagayan, a long history of welcoming Chinese investment – dating back to the 1990s – has shaped political attitudes, while Palawan's stance is strongly influenced by on-the-ground encounters with Chinese vessels in disputed waters. A US Army CH-47 helicopter flies over Cagayan during a joint military exercise in May last year. The province hosts US military sites under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement. Photo: AP A key difference between the two lies in how closely their leaders align with national policy, according to Aletheia Valenciano, an assistant professor of political science at the University of the Philippines and a co-author of the study.
South China Morning Post
21-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
US or China? Two Philippine provinces show the local face of a global power struggle
A new study has shed light on how the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China is playing out at the local level in the Philippines , with provincial support for national security strategies often shaped by economic ties and exposure to Chinese activities in the South China Sea. Advertisement The report by the University of the Philippines, titled 'Localization of the United States–China Rivalry: Cases from the Philippines,' examined the influence of both superpowers in Cagayan and Palawan, two provinces that host sites accessible to American forces under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). 'Big-power influence in the Philippines trickles down to the local government level because national foreign policy preferences are not diffused equally across the country,' the study said. It added that political, economic, diplomatic and military benefits from either side served as 'powerful incentives for local leaders'. Cagayan lies in the far north, facing Taiwan across the Luzon Strait, while Palawan is the westernmost province, near the West Philippine Sea – Manila's term for its exclusive economic zone within the contested South China Sea Though both provinces host EDCA sites, researchers observed stark differences in how they viewed China 's role. In Cagayan, a long history of welcoming Chinese investment – dating back to the 1990s – has shaped political attitudes, while Palawan's stance is strongly influenced by on-the-ground encounters with Chinese vessels in disputed waters. A US Army CH-47 helicopter flies over Cagayan during a joint military exercise in May last year. The province hosts US military sites under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement. Photo: AP A key difference between the two lies in how closely their leaders align with national policy, according to Aletheia Valenciano, an assistant professor of political science at the University of the Philippines and a co-author of the study.
Asia Times
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Asia Times
Hegseth dangles second Typhon missile system for Philippines
MANILA – US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's visit to Manila brought a sigh of relief to his Filipino hosts and new cause for military concern in China. Top Philippine officials and strategists have fretted for months about potential disruptions and possible downgrades in strategic relations amid signs of an isolationist turn in Washington's foreign policy under Donald Trump. Last month, Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez publicly warned that his country should actively prepare for the day when it can no longer rely on its century-old American ally. The high-profile visit by the US defense chief, who will soon be followed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has likely put those strategic doubts somewhat to rest. During his courtesy call at the Malacañang Palace, Hagseth told Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr that President Trump sends his well wishes and 'thinks very fondly of this great country.' Crucially, Hegseth underscored how both the US president and he 'want to express the ironclad commitment we have to the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and to the partnership, economically, militarily, which our staffs have worked on diligently for weeks and weeks and months.' In response, the Filipino leader praised how the visit was 'a very strong indication and sends a very strong message of the commitment of both our countries to continue to work together, to maintain the peace in the Indo-Pacific Region within the South China Sea.' Beyond diplomatic niceties, Hegseth also announced crucial upgrades to bilateral military cooperation to 're-establish deterrence' in light of rising tensions between Manila and Beijing over contested territories in the South China Sea. In particular, Hagseth announced the deployment of the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), a naval strike missile-equipped unmanned ground vehicle capable of striking targets up to 100 nautical miles away, for this year's edition of Philippine-US Balikatan exercise. The US defense chief also announced the deployment of unspecified 'highly-capable unmanned surface vehicles' for planned joint drills in the South China Sea. He was likely referring to US-made Maritime Tactical Systems T-12 MANTAS and Devil Ray T-38 drones, which were used by American troops deployed to the Philippines earlier. Moreover, special forces from both sides are also slated to conduct joint exercises in Batanes, the Philippines' northernmost province facing Taiwan. Despite the ongoing freeze on US overseas aid, Hagseth also reassured his hosts of the $500-million commitment in foreign military financing this year to help modernize the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). The two sides also announced further improvements to military facilities used by rotational US forces in the Philippines under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). 'We will enhance our current EDCA locations and we will make improvements. Mind you, these are Philippine bases of which we have to invest in. We will enhance them for logistical support,' Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr said during a joint press conference with his American counterpart. Most crucially, in a move that will deliberately irk China, Hegseth's visit paved the way for the United States Indo-Pacific Command (Indopacom) to deploy a second mid-range Typhon Missile System battery to the Philippines for upcoming joint exercises. The current Typhon system is capable of striking strategic targets within a 500 to 2,000-kilometer range, which means it could conceivably hit many of China's southern military bases. It was first deployed to the Philippines as part of joint exercises last year but was not removed after the drills were completed. China has strongly protested the highly mobile system's deployment to the Philippines, claiming that the US is fueling a regional arms race. The Wall Street Journal noted it marked the first time since the Cold War that the US military has deployed a land-based launching system with such a long range outside its borders. The Lockheed Martin-built system, which has four launchers, a battery operations center, modified trailers and prime movers, boasts a vertical launch system that utilizes Tomahawk and Raytheon-built Standard Missile-6 missiles. In the event of a conflict in the South China Sea or neighboring Taiwan, the Typhon missile could counter China's famed 'DF' anti-cruise ballistic missile (ASBM) launchers. Accordingly, the vaunted American medium-range mobile missile system provides a tremendous deterrence effect, especially if deployed on a large scale and across strategic locations in the Philippines. 'This is a welcome development for the Armed Forces of the Philippines. We can say that the more the merrier. So the more assets that we have, the more also that we are able to train more personnel on our part. So we accept this willingly,' AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla told reporters after the announcement of the potential deployment of an additional Typhon missile battery as part of joint exercises this year. 'We welcome events like this because this would help our personnel train faster. So we welcome if it will arrive,' Philippine Army spokesperson Colonel Louie Dema-ala said. Last year, Philippine officials welcomed the 'permanent' stationing of the weapons system in EDCA facilities and, down the road, even direct acquisition for the AFP. The US Army's 3rd MDTF, headquartered in Hawaii, is also slated to soon receive its own Typhon battery, underscoring the growing importance of advanced missile systems in America's regional defense strategy. 'We're constantly looking for opportunities to exercise capability like that forward in theater…We learn enormous lessons by bringing capability into the theater,' Col. Michael Rose, the 3rd MDTF commander, told reporters recently. Crucially, the US official confirmed that the Typhon deployment will undirgird Operation Pathways, a series of year-round exercises aimed at establishing an 'integrated deterrence' strategy with Asian allies to counter China's rising power. Before Hegseth's visit, China hoped to steer the second Trump administration away from closer defense cooperation with Manila. At a press briefing last week, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun warned the Philippines that 'nothing good could come out of opening the door to a predator [America]' and that those willing to be pawns in great power competition 'will be deserted in the end.' China's statements came amid growing doubts about America's commitment to its frontline Asian allies, including the Philippines. The rise of isolationist figures in the Pentagon, the so-called 'restrainers', has been a great source of concern among America's traditional Asian allies, not least in Manila. In an essay months ahead of his appointment as Pentagon's Southeast Asia chief, Andrew Byers, for instance, advocated for Washington to effectively abandon its Philippine ally in exchange for cooperative schemes with China to de-escalate tensions in the South China Sea. A top US general also played into anxieties among Filipinos when he announced that the US forces would not conduct a live-fire operation of its the Typhon Missile System during upcoming exercises in the Philippines. 'We are not planning to conduct live-fire in the Philippines right now,' Major General Jeffrey VanAntwerp, deputy chief of staff of operations, plans and training at US Army Pacific, told reporters ahead of Hagseth's visit. His comments raised fears in Manila of potential retrenchment by the Pentagon in exchange for improved relations with Beijing. But the US defense chief's visit and largely dispelled those worries as the Trump administration's plans for confronting China in the Pacific start to come into clearer view. Follow Richard Javad Heydarian on X at @RichHeydarian
South China Morning Post
29-01-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
From ‘ironclad' to uncertain: Trump's aid freeze shakes US-Philippines ties
Published: 3:00pm, 29 Jan 2025 The Philippines is bracing for the possible loss of half a billion dollars in promised US military aid under President Donald Trump , as analysts warn Manila could become a 'bargaining chip' in Washington's dealings with Beijing. The uncertainty follows a sudden 90-day freeze on all US foreign aid funded by or through the State Department and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), announced on Friday by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The announcement comes less than six months after former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced in late July that Washington would allocate 'US$500 million in foreign military financing to the Philippines to boost security collaboration with our oldest treaty ally in this region'. Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega attempted to downplay the damage during a palace press briefing on Saturday, insisting there was still room to negotiate. 'We're still talking to the Americans about that,' he said, adding that the freeze was still temporary. He also argued a stoppage in help from Washington would not 'severely affect us' because the Philippines still has the financial support of other allies. De Vega also stressed that, despite the suspension, operations at the nine existing EDCA sites – military facilities jointly used by US forces in the country authorised by the 2014 Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) – will in 'no way' be affected.
