Philippines

Armed extremists of Abu Sayyaf: violent extremism in the Philippines is a potential time bomb.
Opinion

Philippines must disarm the child warriors of Sulu

Recent arrests reveal dangers that should be addressed urgently

2 August 2021
Philippine weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz celebrates after a lift at the Tokyo Olympics. She won the country's first-ever Olympic gold medal.
31 July 2021
Philippine weightlifter and gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, center, Thailand's taekwondo gold medalist Panipak Wongpattanakit, left, and Indonesian weightlifter and silver medalist Eko Yuli Irawan are eligible for compensation worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. (Source photos by Reuters)
Tokyo 2020 Olympics

ASEAN nations offer huge rewards to Olympic medalists

Philippines' first gold medalist to receive homes and more

31 July 2021
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Indo-Pacific

Austin shores up vital US-Philippine ties on Southeast Asia trip

Maintaining troop pact with Manila gives Pentagon options for pivot to China

31 July 2021
Isko Moreno, mayor of Manila, takes selfies with citizens in December 2019. (Photo by Jun Endo)
Philippine elections

Manila mayor turns heads in Philippine presidential race

Moreno earns praise from Duterte, but stays neutral toward incumbent

29 July 2021
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, said he asked Chinese President Xi Jinping for help with supplying COVID-19 vaccines. (Source photos by Kyodo/Xinhua and Reuters) 
South China Sea

Duterte stresses soft approach toward China in last policy speech

Critics bristle at Manila backing down to Beijing in South China Sea dispute

27 July 2021
Hidilyn Diaz, the Philippines' first gold medalist, stands on the podium on July 26.
Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Hidilyn Diaz's Tokyo triumph lifts Philippines out of COVID blues

First gold medalist beats better-funded rivals and outshines Duterte speech

27 July 2021
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, right, will be the first senior member of the Biden administration to visit Southeast Asia, with plans to meet Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
Indo-Pacific

US defense chief Austin to meet Duterte with military pact on the line

Philippine ambassador bullish for a deal as Washington courts Southeast Asia

24 July 2021
Mynt, the startup behind the popular GCash financial services app, aims to become the Philippines' most valuable fintech company. (Screenshot from GCash's YouTube page)
Finance

Ant-backed Philippine fintech Mynt targets 'double unicorn' status

GCash mobile wallet operator seeking $2bn valuation in next fundraising

23 July 2021
Sinovac vials at a hospital in Jakarta: Indonesian health officials hope mixing vaccines will offer health workers better protection.
COVID vaccines

Delta-hit ASEAN turns to vaccine 'mixing and matching,' boosters

Five things to know about how shortages and doubts are impacting COVID jab plans

20 July 2021
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will soon travel to Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines in the first visit to Southeast Asia by a top member of the Biden administration. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense)
Indo-Pacific

US defense chief Austin to visit Singapore, Vietnam, Philippines

Washington seeks coordinated approach to Beijing in South China Sea

20 July 2021
Antipolo station, which opened July 5, is the last stop on the eastern extension of the LRT Line 2 that runs across greater Manila. (Photo by Yuichi Shiga)
Transportation

Manila's $25bn traffic headache looms as 2022 election issue

Duterte's infrastructure plan progresses slower than expected

15 July 2021
BDO Unibank launched its BDO Pay mobile wallet in the Philippines this year. (Source photos by Reuters)
Finance

Philippines' biggest bank seeks slice of mobile payment boom

BDO Unibank's e-wallet set to challenge apps backed by Ant Group and KKR

15 July 2021
The surge in anti-Asian violence has brought sympathy from immigrants' home countries, prompted diplomatic rebuke, and handed Chinese state media a potent set of talking points with which to criticize the U.S.
The Big Story

Anti-Asian attacks erode US image as Biden rebuilds Pacific ties

Trump's China rhetoric cited as source of bias against Asian Americans

15 July 2021
President Rodrigo Duterte speaks during a ceremony to mark the 123rd anniversary of Philippine independence at the provincial capital of Bulacan province on June 12.
Philippine elections

Rodrigo Duterte tops poll to be next Philippine vice president

Sara Duterte increases lead as preferred successor to her father in 2022

14 July 2021
The Philippine Coast Guard used rubber dinghies to inspect Chinese vessels moored at Whitsun Reef in the South China Sea in April. (Photo by Philippine Coast Guard/AP)
South China Sea

Manila confronts Beijing 5 years after South China Sea ruling

US and allies invoke Philippine 2016 arbitration victory to pressure China

12 July 2021
Fast-food operator Jollibee has become the latest Philippine company to venture into the emerging REIT market.
Companies

Fast-food king Jollibee eyes Philippines' first 'industrial REIT'

Restaurant group partners with Double Dragon to list real estate trust next year

8 July 2021
Supporters light candles as they offer prayers for former Philippine President Benigno Aquino III on June 25: the yellow ribbon was a mournful reminder of what we are now missing.
Opinion

'Noynoy' Aquino's death a chance to rekindle Philippine democracy

Next year's elections an opportunity to resist authoritarian government

6 July 2021
Will President Rodrigo Duterte stay on in power as vice president? Since 1987, Philippine presidential terms have been capped at one lasting six years to prevent a repetition of the protracted dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos. (Source photos by AP and Getty Images) 
Comment

Ghost of Marcos looms as Duterte weighs term as vice president

Death of 'Noynoy' Aquino shines spotlight on future of Philippine politics

6 July 2021
Shipping containers await transport from a port in Bangkok, Thailand in March 2016.
Economy

COVID surge puts brakes on Thai and Malaysia growth: survey

Virus variants and US rate hike loom over ASEAN economies

5 July 2021
Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., the Philippines' sixth-biggest private lender, says it is going digital to "radically" cut costs.
Finance

Philippine lender RCBC to set up digital bank after SMBC investment

Lender aims to 'radically' cut costs as fintech startups mount challenge

29 June 2021
Singapore Airlines’ subsidiary Scoot will debut new Airbus A321neo jets to serve Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Transportation

Singapore Airlines' budget unit Scoot debuts new Airbus jets

Low-cost carrier eyes routes to Thailand and Vietnam after fleet refresh

28 June 2021
RCBC, the sixth largest private bank in the Philippines, has seen demand for lending to small and midsize enterprises increase amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Source photo by Reuters) 
Business deals

Japan's SMFG to buy 5% stake in Philippine bank RCBC

Financial group aims to expand presence in Asia and boost growth in digital banking

28 June 2021
A shopper uses Voyager's PayMaya mobile wallet to make a purchase at an open-air market in the Philippines. (Photo courtesy of Voyager Innovations)
Finance

Philippine fintech Voyager raises $167m for digital banking push

Tencent-backed PayMaya operator says it has applied for online bank license

28 June 2021
Outgoing President Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino III (right) meets with his successor President Rodrigo Duterte at the Malacanang Palace on Jun. 30, 2016. (File photo by Getty Images)
Obituaries

Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino was the transitional leader Filipinos needed

Former president left the country more stable, prosperous and democratic

28 June 2021