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GMA Network
6 days ago
- Sport
- GMA Network
Gilas Pilipinas to meet Australia again seven years after infamous FIBA brawl
Gilas Pilipinas and Australia are on a collision course again, seven years after their controversial brawl at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan. Gilas and the Boomers will duke it out in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday with the latter out to keep their bid for a third consecutive gold medal alive while the Filipinos are seeking to pull off a major upset. "We know that they are the pretty much the number one seed in the tournament and for us to beat them is gonna be an upset," Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone on the heels of their 95-88 win against Saudi Arabia early Tuesday. The Philippines and Australia have faced off five times in FIBA tournaments, most recently during the 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers here in the Philippines—a game overshadowed by a bench-clearing brawl. FILE PHOTO. Mathew Wright (L) of Gilas Pilipinas engages Daniel Kickert of Australia in a fistfight during their FIBA World Cup Asian qualifier game at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan on Monday, July 2, 2018. Australia won by default, 89-53. AFP/Ted Aljibe FILE PHOTO. Gilas Pilipinas and Australian players engage in a brawl during their FIBA World Cup Asian qualifier game at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan on Monday, July 2, 2018. Australia won by default 89-53. AFP/Ted Aljibe The game saw 13 players and two coaches ejected and slapped with suspensions from international play, including Japeth Aguilar, Matthew Wright, Terrence Romeo, Jayson Castro, and Andray Blatche. Australia would run away with victory by default, 89-53, after the Philippines was left with only three players in June Mar Fajardo, Gabe Norwood, and Baser Amer, and they committed intentional fouls to get disqualified. Both teams now sport completely different looks. The Philippines has only two holdovers from that squad in Fajardo and Aguilar while Australia has none. The Boomers, now bannered by Jack McVeigh, Jaylin Galloway, and Reyne Smith, are the favorites to win the game as the two-time defending champions remain unscathed so far in the tournament, beating South Korea, Lebanon, and Qatar to complete a sweep of Group A to punch an outright quarterfinal berth. Gilas, meanwhile, suffered two narrow losses to Chinese Taipei and New Zealand and needed to pull off crucial victories over Iraq and Saudi Arabia to reach the quarterfinal round. —JMB, GMA Integrated News
Newsweek
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
China and US Ally in Maritime Confrontation Near Disputed Territory
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. China and the Philippines have traded salvos over a confrontation near the contested Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Philippine Coast Guard for comment outside of office hours. Why It Matters China claims sovereignty over nearly all islands and reefs in the South China Sea, citing historical rights. These claims overlap with those of several other countries in the region, including the United States' defense treaty ally, the Philippines. Scarborough Shoal, known in the Philippines as Bajo de Masinloc and in China as Huangyan Island, is a rich fishing ground and a flashpoint in a territorial dispute that has intensified since 2023, as the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has challenged the expanding Chinese patrols within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. Clashes have seen the Chinese side engage in ramming and deploying water cannons that damaged Philippine vessels and caused injuries. A Chinese coast guard ship shadows the Philippine BRP Datu Tamblot near the Scarborough Shoal on February 15, 2024. A Chinese coast guard ship shadows the Philippine BRP Datu Tamblot near the Scarborough Shoal on February 15, 2024. Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images What To Know Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account run by state broadcaster China Central Television, released footage on Wednesday showing a confrontation between the coast guards of the two countries at Scarborough Shoal the previous day. The video accused the Philippine vessel, the BRP Teresa Magbanua, of "deliberately and dangerously" approaching its two Chinese counterparts, CCG-21550 and CCG-5009, and cutting across their bows at distances as close as 100 meters (328 feet). "The Philippine vessel repeatedly made sharp turns at close range and sped up. Such provocative behavior was even more frequent this time than in the past," the video claimed, accusing the Southeast Asian nation of violating maritime law. On July 15, PCG vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua, operating in the waters near the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, deliberately provoked the CCG vesels that were conducting rights protection and law enforcement operations in the area. — SCS Probing Initiative (@SCS_PI) July 16, 2025 Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela refuted China's account of the incident on Thursday. "BRP Teresa Magbanua was lawfully conducting a maritime patrol within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, as established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 arbitral award, to safeguard Filipino fishermen and uphold our sovereign rights in this part of the West Philippine Sea," Tarriela said, using Manila's term for the swath of South China Sea lying within the zone. "In contrast, the China Coast Guard vessels were operating unlawfully in these waters, aggressively obstructing our navigation route by speeding up and dangerously crossing close to our vessel in an attempt to intimidate and harass our personnel," he added. The official called the actions of the Chinese side "part of a recurring pattern of coercion." The 2016 award he referenced was a Hague-based arbitral tribunal's decision that rejected China's sweeping South China Sea claims. Beijing refused to participate in the proceedings and maintains the award is invalid. Scarborough Shoal lies about 140 miles west of the Philippines' populous Luzon Island and nearly 700 miles from China's southernmost province, Hainan. China seized effective control over the waters around the shoal in 2012, following a standoff after Philippine forces attempted to arrest Chinese fishermen. What People Are Saying The Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank's Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, in a June report: "Remote sensing data from the past ten months shows that China's presence has expanded to include additional patrols east of the feature aimed at intercepting Philippine ships, leading to frequent encounters between the two countries' law enforcement vessels." What Happens Next China is likely to continue sending its coast guard and naval ships into the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, in what analysts describe as an effort to gradually normalize its presence there. The Marcos administration is expected to persist in shadowing Chinese vessels within the zone and publicizing their movements. The president has pledged not to cede "one square inch" of Philippine territory.
Newsweek
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
'Confrontation' in South China Sea as US Ally Challenges Beijing
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A standoff occurred between the Chinese and Philippine coast guards off the Philippine province of Palawan, according to ship-tracking data shared by a maritime analyst on Tuesday. Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Philippine coast guard via email for comment outside of office hours. Why It Matters Tensions are running high between Beijing and Manila over China's expanding activities within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, hundreds of miles from Chinese shores. Beijing claims over 80 percent of the South China Sea as its territory, asserting historical rights. Philippine efforts to challenge Chinese maritime forces, spearheaded by China's large, reinforced-hull coast guard ships, have resulted in clashes at South China Sea flashpoints, raising concerns that a miscalculation could trigger the United States-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty and draw U.S. forces into conflict with China. A Chinese Coast Guard ship near the Philippine-occupied island of Thitu in the disputed South China Sea on June 3, 2025. A Chinese Coast Guard ship near the Philippine-occupied island of Thitu in the disputed South China Sea on June 3, 2025. Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images What To Know Tuesday's maritime confrontation occurred when three Chinese coast guard ships challenged a group of Philippine vessels about 60 miles off the westernmost Philippine province of Palawan, Ray Powell, director of the Stanford University-affiliated maritime group SeaLight, wrote on X (formerly Twitter). That's well within the Philippines' 200-nautical-mile (230-mile) exclusive economic zone, where Manila alone is entitled to fishing and natural resource management rights under international law. The Philippine contingent—comprised of two coast guard cutters and a civilian patrol vessel from the national fisheries bureau—had escorted what appeared to be a fishing vessel into waters south of Half Moon Shoal, an atoll west of Palawan and on the edge of the contested Spratly Islands archipelago. 🇵🇭🇨🇳MARITIME CONFRONTATION NEAR PALAWAN: Two #Philippines Coast Guard (BRP Cape San Augustin & BRP Cape Engano) & one fisheries vessel (BRP Lapu Lapu) have escorted a ship ID'd as Panama-flagged Kunimatsu 3 from Puerto Princesa to an area south of Half Moon Shoal, 50-55nm from… — Ray Powell (@GordianKnotRay) June 16, 2025 An illustration shared by Powell depicts a web of ship tracks as Chinese and Philippine vessels maneuvered around each other, in an encounter reminiscent of previous standoffs at other Spratly hotspots, such as Sabina Shoal and Second Thomas Shoal. In 2016, an international arbitral tribunal in The Hague dismissed China's sweeping claims in the South China Sea. Beijing maintains that the decision is invalid. What People Are Saying Chinese analyst Liu Xiaobo, at a recent event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies: "China's maritime rights protection in the South China Sea is mainly carried out by the coast guard. "And there are more and more coast guard in the South China Sea, but it's very rare to see the Chinese navy because, to China, using the navy is very to easy to lead into escalation. In China's view, this is another kind of self-restraint." What Happens Next Both China and the Philippines are unlikely to budge on the long-running dispute. -
Newsweek
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
South China Sea Convoy Challenges Beijing's Territorial Claims
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A coalition of Philippine civilians has embarked on its third mission to defy China's territorial claims in the South China Sea. While the Atin Ito coalition—Tagalog for "This is Ours"—anticipated a possible challenge from China's assertive coast guard, the volunteers sought to send a "message of peace and unity," spokesperson Rafaela David told local media on Monday. Why It Matters China claims sovereignty over roughly 90 percent of the South China Sea, citing "historical rights," despite a Hague-based arbitral tribunal's 2016 ruling dismissing the claims as incompatible with maritime law. China's expansive moves in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone have been met with pushback. The result has been spiraling tensions and dramatic standoffs between the countries' government forces, raising concerns about a potential conflict that could trigger the Philippines' Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States. Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry by email for comment. A Chinese Coast Guard ship monitors a Philippine fishing boat during the distribution of fuel and food to fishers by the civilian-led mission Atin Ito (This Is Ours) Coalition, in the disputed South China Sea... A Chinese Coast Guard ship monitors a Philippine fishing boat during the distribution of fuel and food to fishers by the civilian-led mission Atin Ito (This Is Ours) Coalition, in the disputed South China Sea on May 16, 2024. More Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images What To Know More than 150 volunteers—including activists, fishermen, musicians, and civic and church leaders—set sail for Philippines-controlled Thitu Island early Tuesday morning as part of a convoy centered on the civilian vessel Kapitan Felix Oca. Tensions over Thitu, the only inhabited feature in the Spratly Islands archipelago and home to a modest military outpost, flared up again in recent days. Last week, China's coast guard executed close-quarter blocking maneuvers and deployed its water cannon in nearby waters while attempting to drive off a Philippine fisheries bureau vessel that Manila said was supporting a scientific mission. The group said it aimed to distribute supplies such as food, medicine and fuel to local fishermen and servicemembers stationed at the garrison. Performers will also hold a concert on the island as a message of solidarity. "We are not just asserting territory. We are asserting that ordinary Filipinos have a stake here," David told reporters before departure from Manila on Monday. "We will not be intimidated." The Philippine coast guard said it deployed one of its largest patrol ships, the BRP Melchora Aquino, along with the smaller BRP Malapascua, to escort the Felix Oca. As of 3 p.m. local time, two Chinese coast guard ships were observed "shadowing" the civilian convoy about 66 miles off the north coast of Palawan province, Philippine coast guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela wrote on X, formerly Twitter. The Chinese vessels reportedly issued radio challenges asserting China's claim and citing "domestic and international law," while rejecting the 2016 arbitral decision. "In response to the unauthorized patrol by the China Coast Guard, the Philippine coast guard vessels have initiated radio communications to challenge [Chinese coast guard vessel] 3306's claim of operating under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China," Tarriela said. What People Are Saying Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, a Philippine navy spokesperson, told Newsweek: "We do not speculate on the actions of any adversary. Nevertheless, we are ready to respond to any threat that may face the Atin Ito convoy." The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines, in a statement: "Nansha Qundao, including Tiexian Jiao, has always been China's territory. China has indisputable sovereignty over Nansha Qundao [the Spratly Island group] and its adjacent waters. What Happens Next The Atin Ito participants are scheduled to begin their return trip to Manila on Friday.
