Philippines

Indonesian President Joko Widodo signs the guestbook at  Malacanang Palace on Jan. 10, as Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. looks on.
International relations

Indonesia's Jokowi seeks ASEAN unity as term winds down

Code of conduct for South China Sea on agenda during final regional tour

11 January 2024
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, left, and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. meet in Manila on Jan. 10. (Photo courtesy of Indonesia's Presidential Palace)
International relations

Philippines and Indonesia agree to strengthen security cooperation

Marcos and Jokowi discuss South China Sea issues and ASEAN unity

10 January 2024
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, right, greets his Philippine counterpart, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., at the ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, on May 10, 2023.
International relations

Indonesia's Jokowi begins trip to Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei

Talks to include economy and defense as China's clout grows

9 January 2024
Jeepney drivers say a government plan to transition to vehicles that cause less air pollution is too expensive. (Photo by Deo Montesclaros)
Transportation

Philippines' jeepney transition plan runs into gridlock

Drivers push back against costly plans to transition to cleaner vehicles

8 January 2024
The Philippines has fallen behind neighboring countries in adopting electric vehicles. (Photo by Yuichi Shiga)
Companies

Philippines' Cirtek to build e-motorcycles in first for country

Electronics maker partners with Chinese player to tap growing EV push

6 January 2024
The Philippine Stock Exchange abruptly halted trading minutes after it opened on Jan. 3 (File photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Markets

Philippines stock exchange restarts trading after abrupt halt

Bourse gives no reason for the shutdown minutes after opening

3 January 2024
Bystanders look at a damaged road on Japan's Noto Peninsula following a deadly earthquake on Jan. 1.
Natural disasters

Asian leaders offer assistance for Japan earthquake response

Marcos, Yoon and more express solidarity as death toll climbs

3 January 2024
Axie merch IRL. The Axie blockchain game triggered a play-to-earn NFT boom but was criticized as a pyramid scheme. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Business Spotlight

How Axie's loss changed the battle against North Korean crypto hackers

After FBI probe of biggest coin heist ever, can Vietnamese startup reinvent gaming?

29 December 2023
A Filipino at a remittance center in the Metro Manila city of Makati receives pesos sent by a relative working abroad.
Economy

Cross-border remittances at all-time high for third consecutive year

Workers from South and East Asia, Pacific drive increase, World Bank says

28 December 2023
The Philippines is struggling to find ways to finance the purchase of 12 F-16 fighter jets from the U.S. 
Defense

Philippines grapples with financial hurdle to buy U.S. F-16 fighters

Washington slow to shift monetary aid toward Asia despite China threat

27 December 2023
Children play at an evacuation center for people displaced by flash floods caused by monsoon rains in Manila, pictured in August 2018. A UNICEF survey found the Philippines had the most children displaced by climate disasters between 2016 and 2021.
Climate Change

Asia's child exploitation risk worsened by climate change, UN expert warns

Philippines, India top list of children displaced by extreme weather

25 December 2023
People pose for pictures at a Christmas display outside an office building in Manila on Dec. 19.
Economy

Price woes threaten to spoil holiday cheer in Philippines

Christmas spending hit by still-high inflation, slowing cash remittances

23 December 2023
A radar system built by Japan's Mitsubishi Electric has started operating at an air base in La Union in the Philippines. (Photo by Ramon Royandoyan)
Defense

Philippines installs Japan-made radar to track China's moves

Deal with Mitsubishi could pave way for more Japanese defense exports

20 December 2023
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s move to launch the country's first sovereign wealth fund is creating needless risk.  (Pool via Reuters)
Opinion

To maintain the Philippines' momentum, Marcos needs new ideas

Maharlika fund has distracted president from more pressing economic priorities

20 December 2023
U.S. aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson displays America’s military might in Southeast Asia amid a spat between China and the Philippines in the region's disputed waters. (Photo by Dylan Loh)
Defense

U.S. aircraft carrier calls at Singapore as China, Philippines spar

Nuclear-powered USS Carl Vinson projects might amid South China Sea dispute

19 December 2023
Filipino shoppers collectively lost more than $2.8 million in online scams during the first nine months of 2023.
Retail

Philippines emerges as Asia's epicenter for online shopping scams

Experts warn over country's lack of digital literacy and cybercrime awareness

18 December 2023
City workers sweep at a section of road beside stored materials for a railway construction site in Quezon City, Metro Manila on Aug. 10.
Economy

Philippines announces lower growth projection for 2024

Marcos also signals possible constitutional review to lure foreign investment

15 December 2023
Katrina Ventura says she sees the "value of data-driven stories in combating online disinformation."
Announcements

Columbia-Nikkei journalism scholarship awarded to Katrina Ventura

Former TV producer from the Philippines scoops $100,000 academic prize

14 December 2023
Philippine and U.S. aircraft take part in a joint maritime exercise in the South China Sea during November. (Philippine Air Force via Reuters)
US-China tensions

Flashpoint is South China Sea, not Taiwan, says Philippine envoy to U.S.

Romualdez calls China's Xi 'evasive' on tensions, urges multilateral patrols

13 December 2023
Fisherman Rashep Valencia says Chinese sand dredging vessels tore apart his fishing nets. (Photo by Nick Aspinwall)
Asia Insight

U.S.-China rivalry hits home in this Philippine province

Cagayan among places caught up in moves to bring both growth and security

12 December 2023
In this image from a video provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, a Chinese coast guard ship, right, uses a water cannon on a vessel of the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources as it approaches Scarborough Shoal on Dec. 9.
South China Sea

Philippines urges restraint following South China Sea clash

Manila and Washington call on Beijing to cease aggressive acts

11 December 2023
Companies like Rizal Commercial Banking and GoTyme Bank are vying for the Philippines' digital banking market. (Photo by Yuichi Shiga)
9 December 2023
Law enforcement officers investigate the scene of an explosion that occurred during a Catholic Mass in a gymnasium at a university in the southern Philippine city of Marawi on Dec. 3.
Terrorism

Marawi attack rekindles Islamic State fears in the Philippines

Experts say militants from elsewhere in ASEAN could return to Mindanao Island

5 December 2023
A vendor loads vegetables into a tricycle at a market in Manila on Dec. 5.
Economy

Philippines inflation slowdown heralds cautious optimism for 2024

Policymakers still trying to rein in volatile prices of rice, other food items

5 December 2023
The Japanese and Canadian trade ministers, Yasutoshi Nishimura and Mary Ng, seal a memorandum of understanding over battery supply chains in Ottawa on Sept. 21. (The Canadian Press via AP)
Indo-Pacific

Canada trade agency to open offices in Tokyo, Manila, Ho Chi Minh City

Ottawa accelerates Indo-Pacific push after entering Jakarta and Seoul

5 December 2023