Duterte seems bent on realising the dream of dictator Ferdinand Marcos and renaming the Philippines as ‘Maharlika’. But people can’t decide whether the word means ‘peace’, ‘noble’, or ‘large male organ’.

It may have misfired, but an action movie featuring Robin Padilla as Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa – the Philippine police chief and key player in Duterte’s drug war – was following a popular script: disguise an election ad as entertainment

From extrajudicial killings to kidnappings, rape and extortion, the abuses perpetrated by the PHP in the name of the drugs war grows ever longer.

Supporters of the Philippine president make a virtue of how many people he has fired from his administration, claiming it reflects a no-nonsense approach. Critics say the nonsense is that he hired them in the first place

What do shady operatives, whistle-blowers, X-ray scanners, and a US$205 million drug haul have in common? They’re part of the deceit and debacles at the Bureau of Customs that turned Duterte’s deadly war on drugs into a farce.

In the ‘world capital’ of political dynasties, ruling families that have held power for decades trade positions like musical chairs. And when sibling or clan rivalries threaten this incestuous grip on power, things can turn deadly.

The Chinese embassy in Manila called for a thorough investigation of an alleged bomb plot, protesting at the Philippine government's "soft attitude" towards a potential threat to Chinese citizens.

With tension running high between the Philippines and China because of their maritime dispute, one wrong move could see Beijing grabbing all the disputed islands, say regional experts.

Four days after the strongest storm in history ravaged the central Philippines, CNN asked President Benigno Aquino how he felt about the idea that his presidency would be defined by the way it handled the disaster.

Manila is no stranger to powerful typhoons, but a storm like Haiyan could bring the Philippine capital to its knees.

Filipinos have reacted with bitterness to the decision by Hong Kong lawmakers to push for the scrapping of their visa-free trips to the city and are threatening to take their cash elsewhere.

Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, 76, wants to say sorry to Hong Kong. Now that's an act he had a lot of practice in - apologising. A self-acclaimed womaniser and philanderer, "Erap", as Estrada is popularly known, in the past had to repeatedly beg forgiveness from his wife, Luisa. One time he did it in style, with flowers and accompanied by musicians playing violin.