Officially the move is aimed at keeping a lid on tensions, but a former senator says it is meant to ‘demonstrate allegiance to China’.

Manila and Beijing might be playing down differences in the South China Sea as ‘a little pebble in the road’, but they’ll have a tough time convincing the Filipino public.

Philippines recorded 4,063 new cases on Friday, bringing infections to 93,354 as lockdown restrictions were extended in Metro Manila.

‘I made a plea to Xi Jinping. Can we be one of the first to have it … or can we buy it?’ said President Rodrigo Duterte in State of the Nation Address.

There are concerns the act will be used to ‘red-tag’ leftist organisations that hold seats in Congress, pushing some people towards the rebels.

Diplomatic spats in the Philippines and Myanmar show the superpowers’ jostling for regional influence is likely to spill over beyond the South China Sea, experts say.

The president says he cannot emulate the ‘devil-may-care attitude’ of his American and Brazilian counterparts towards the pandemic as the Philippines now has the second-most confirmed infections in Southeast Asia.

The controversial measure, which critics fear could be used to stifle dissent, has met opposition from across society – and prompted a last-gasp legal bid to stop it coming into force.

Manila is running out of money to repatriate overseas Filipino workers who have become displaced refugees due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and their numbers are set to grow.

In a wide-ranging television interview, foreign secretary Teodoro Locsin Jnr also discussed China’s occupation of the Scarborough Shoal and US freedom of navigation.

The agency has come under fire as President Duterte’s sacked a special adviser who had criticised it, while the ombudsman is investigating the department for ‘irregularities’.

Popularly known as ‘Boss Danding’, he headed the conglomerate behind San Miguel beer, but remained controversial for his ties to late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

The 56-year-old CEO and executive editor of the Rappler news site was sentenced to between six months and six years in jail on Monday before being released on bail.

Just as Manila was paying homage to 45 years of ties with Beijing, its defence secretary lands on a disputed South China Sea and announces US$26 million worth of military infrastructure.

Critics fear the Anti-Terrorism Act, which expands the scope for warrantless arrests and allows for 14-day detentions without charge, will be used against the government’s political opponents.

Analysts said the sudden reversal may have been influenced by recent Chinese moves in the South China Sea and the coronavirus pandemic.

A probe of all ‘clandestine medical clinics’ catering mostly to foreigners has been ordered after the detention of a number of Chinese nationals in the country.

Doctors in the Philippines fear the rise in seasonal diseases will overwhelm a health system already struggling with the coronavirus pandemic.

The measures would raise US$593 million and help to offset government spending of US$11.7 billion to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, Philippine Congressman Joey Salceda says.

The Philippine president made peace with three tycoons who contributed to Covid-19 efforts, but sidelined the Lopez family, whose ABS-CBN network was forced off the air.

Malls are opening and liquor is back on the menu for some, but after two months of staying at home, many people are unwilling to take their chances in the outside world.

Conchita Lopez Taylor, matriarch of the Lopez family who owns ABS-CBN, says the reason behind the broadcaster’s shutdown is not clear.

Workers want the payments – at 3 per cent of their monthly pay – to be scrapped entirely amid the Covid-19 outbreak. For a Filipino domestic worker in Hong Kong, the amount would be more than HK$1,660 annually.

The revelation comes amid a diplomatic row between Manila and Taipei over a Filipino domestic helper accused of ‘cyber libel’ for criticising President Duterte over his handling of the virus.

Scenes of army troops enforcing the coronavirus lockdown have raised memories of the Marcos era for some Filipinos, who fear the pandemic may be used as a cover to implement martial law.

A team of Chinese doctors and nurses has been touring Philippine hospitals, sharing their experience of the front-line of the fight against Covid-19 in Wuhan.

Two hospitals, including the Philippines’ designated Covid-19 referral centre, are hoping to gain ‘precious’ knowledge from the specialists on combating the pandemic.

The team is expected to provide technical advice on epidemic prevention and control as well as treatment protocols.

The well-known expert’s passing was met with tributes and grief from scholars and officials across Asia.

The final version of the law removes a controversial section that would have granted Duterte sweeping powers to take over private Philippine firms, including banks.