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The Philippines
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The Philippines

The Philippines
The Philippines
Latest news, in-depth features and opinion on the Philippines, covering politics, economy, society, and Manila’s relationships with China and its Southeast Asian neighbours.
Greater Bay Airlines and Cathay Pacific aircrafts parked at Hong Kong International Airport. Photo: May Tse
Hong Kong transport

Greater Bay Airlines to raise fuel surcharges, joining Hong Kong rivals

Charges on flights to Hong Kong from all destinations except mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, the Maldives and the Philippines will rise by 106 per cent.

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Asean

Philippines urges Asean to be global investment safe haven amid Middle East war

SCMP Highlights

China’s arms imports plummet, Hong Kong couple’s Dubai exit: 7 highlights

United States

250 men went down with a WWII ‘hell ship’. Now the US is coming back for them

Eight decades after the Oryoku Maru was sunk by American bombs, specialist divers are returning to retrieve the 250 men still trapped inside.

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Hundreds perished when the Japanese “hell ship” Oryoku Maru was sunk in 1944. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
South China Sea

Philippines’ bid for UN Security Council seat sidesteps maritime row

As a potential council member, the Philippines is expected to address broader global security issues and be a ‘responsible middle power’.

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Energy

Opinion | Why Asia’s future depends on breaking the shackles of fossil fuels

The choice facing Asia is clear: pay the large, one-time cost of transition or keep paying the unpredictable price of vulnerability.

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US, Israel war on Iran

‘Bored, scared’: 6,000 Filipino sailors stranded by Strait of Hormuz closure

Iranian strikes have effectively shut off the strait, which carries 20 per cent of the world’s oil and gas supplies.

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An LPG tanker anchors off Shinas, Oman, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters
Ferdinand Marcos Jnr

Marcos ‘angry’ over official’s ‘mistreatment’ of OFWs in Bahrain

A video shows the official shooing away Filipino workers seeking financial help outside the Philippine embassy in Bahrain.

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Singapore

As Iran war fuels oil crisis, Southeast Asia’s small firms could be hit hardest

Observers say SMEs are typically more vulnerable as they have less capital to absorb sudden increases in operating costs.

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Scams and swindles

150,000 Meta accounts shut down in Southeast Asian scam centre crackdown

Meta has also launched protective tools such as Facebook and WhatsApp alerts for suspicious friend requests and activities.

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Workstations used by scam operators are seen after a police raid in Phnom Penh on Wednesday. Photo: EPA
Taiwan

How Iran’s strikes on US bases could offer a preview for the Asia-Pacific

Tehran’s retaliation against Washington’s Gulf allies offers lessons for a potential Taiwan conflict, analysts say.

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Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan is the biggest US airbase in East Asia. Analysts say American forces operating out of Japan could be vulnerable to attacks by the PLA in the event of a Taiwan conflict. Photo: Kyodo
Energy

Iran war threatens prolonged energy shock, slower growth for Asia

Observers say an extended disruption of energy flows could mean persistently higher fuel costs and widening trade deficits for Asian importers.

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US, Israel war on Iran

As US missiles leave South Korea, the Philippines asks: are we next?

South Korea couldn’t stop the pull-out. Now, Manila must figure out if it is indeed a strategic partner or just another supply depot.

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Banking & finance

Deutsche Bank bets on Hong Kong boom as Asian billionaires look beyond US assets

Hong Kong is becoming a focal point for Asian billionaires seeking to pivot away from US exposure, Deutsche Bank’s private bank says.

Claudio de Sanctis, head of Private Banking at Deutsche Bank. Photo: Sun Yeung
Energy

Philippines’ fuel shock exposes limits of deregulated oil market

Consumer groups say households are left to absorb rising costs as the government rolls out conservation measures and considers fuel tax relief.

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Protesters hold slogans that read “Junk the oil deregulation law” during a rally against the recent big oil price increase on Tuesday outside a petrol station in Quezon City, the Philippines. Photo: AP
Foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong

11 domestic helpers among 20 arrested in Hong Kong crackdown on illegal labour

Six residents among those arrested are the owners or in charge of companies allegedly involved.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Asia sees violence, fuel rationing, queues as energy crunch over war hits

In Bangladesh a man was killed and the military has been deployed, while lines have formed elsewhere too, as many nations rely on imports.

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Infrastructure

‘Ghost projects’ push Philippines to record US$26.5 billion budget deficit

A widening deficit and falling revenue are ‘direct, quantifiable effects’ of an investigation into the flood-control scandal, economists say.

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A shopkeeper looks at his smartphone while waiting customers in Manila. The Philippines’ budget deficit hit a record high last year. Photo: EPA
Weather

A heatwave is coming to Southeast Asia. So is an energy shock

Indonesia and Malaysia are set to feel the worst of an early summer first, compounding an LNG supply crisis triggered by the Iran war.

US-China relations

Taiwan tensions No 1 in Beijing’s top 10 geopolitical risks of 2026: think tank

Most consequential external security variable may be uncertainty in the US ahead of the midterm elections in November, report warns.

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Philippines insurgency

Asia’s longest communist revolt is dying, Manila says. The rebels disagree

The Philippine military claims the 56-year insurgency is near the finish line. But veteran rebels say the roots of rebellion remain.

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New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas stand in formation at a base in the Sierra Madre mountain range, east of Manila, in 2017. Photo: AFP
Two Sessions 2025

Beijing signals high hopes for South China Sea ‘golden rules’ by end of year

Wang Yi voices ‘determination’ to work with rival claimants yet urges Manila to ‘be aware of its responsibility’.

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Chinese coastguard personnel patrol the waters around the disputed Scarborough Shoal, which Beijing claims as Huangyan Island, in November 2025. Photo: Xinhua

Philippines’ only cockroach expert defends bugs from extinction

The 31-year-old soft-spoken scientist has been dubbed ‘cockroach lord’ and occasionally finds himself in demand for very specific situations.

US, Israel war on Iran

AC limits, flex-work, fuel-lock apps: Philippines readies for Iran oil fallout

Citizens and the government adopt energy-saving hacks to cut fuel consumption amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

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Food and Drinks

Filipino food’s secret weapon: vinegar, sharpening dishes for centuries

Cooks in the Philippines have used the ‘ingredient of 2026’ to bring out complexity in dishes long before the condiment started trending.

Filipino ceviche, or kinilaw, uses a vinegar marinade to “cook” the raw fish, unlike the Latin American version, which uses citrus juice. Photo: Dreamstime/TNS
Sara Duterte-Carpio

Philippines advances Sara Duterte impeachment case, but ‘this is not a cakewalk’

A failed Senate conviction could ultimately strengthen Duterte-Carpio ahead of the presidential 2028 race, observers warn.

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Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio has said she will run for president in the 2028 national election. Photo: EPA
Asean

‘We will go to war’: why #SEAblings became a Southeast Asian rallying cry

The hashtag went viral following a row over a South Korean band’s concert in Kuala Lumpur in January and protests in Indonesia last year.

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Singapore

How Southeast Asia’s coffee chains are brewing cross-border success

Home-grown brands such as Zus Coffee are betting on cultural fluency, halal positioning and digital tools to make further inroads.

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