Lieutenant General Noel Clement says the military supports diplomatic efforts to prevent an escalation of tensions between China and the Philippines in the disputed waterway.

The Philippine president has invited the Russian oil giant Rosneft to explore for oil in the disputed waterway. Experts warn that could put the Philippines in the middle of a three-way tug of war between the US, China and Russia

China has attempted to entice the Philippines into closer security ties since Duterte became president in 2016, but stand-offs over the South China Sea and a US defence treaty are among the reasons its overtures have been ignored.

‘Do I have to fly home to file the goddamned diplomatic protest myself?’ Teodoro Locsin Jnr tells staff after Chinese vessels seen at shoal guarded by Filipino soldiers in the South China Sea.

Chinese companies will soon be able to bid for the 71km Subic-Clark Railway Project, under President Rodrigo Duterte’s “Build, build, build” infrastructure initiative.

The exercise was not directed at China despite being staged on a beach facing the South China Sea, where Beijing has built several military installations on artificial islands.

Chinese loan sharks have found a talented pool of Filipinos, including police officers, who provide services such as snatching victims and guarding them until ransom is paid.

Benjamin Magalong’s other revelations on police corruption include ‘recycling’ crystal meth seized in raids and ransoming off newly arrested Chinese drug kingpins.

Dito Telecommunity Corporation has signed an agreement with the Philippine armed forces to build mobile phone towers inside military facilities, although the country’s defence secretary says he knew nothing about it.

Despite firing prisons bureau chief Nicanor Faeldon last week, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says his close ally is an ‘upright man’.

Rash of casino-related abductions sees Chinese pair and two Filipinos held hostage but eventually rescued by country’s dedicated anti-kidnapping police.

The Philippine leader says he will ignore an international court’s ruling and plough ahead with joint oil and gas exploration with Beijing. Experts say he’s either breached the constitution, or made a very smart move.

Nicanor Faeldon, director of the Bureau of Corrections, had attracted controversy by releasing 816 convicts in a nine-month span.

Philippine police will be sent to Beijing to take an anti-kidnapping course, while China wants to send police to Manila, where there has been a rash of cases of Chinese nationals abducting compatriots.

Senator Ronald dela Rosa, who presided over President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, insisted the ROTC scheme was needed in case ‘ China attacks us’.

Perfecto Yasay Jnr, a long-time ‘loyal friend’ to President Rodrigo Duterte, was Philippine foreign secretary for eight months and helped smooth ties between Manila and Beijing in 2016.

Philippine president says he will discuss 2016 tribunal victory in South China Sea dispute during coming visit ‘whether you like it or not’.

Bian Xiaoguo’s father was sent a video of his son being tortured and asked for a ransom of US$42,500. The rash of kidnappings come as Chinese nationals flock to the Philippines to work in casinos or offshore gaming operators.

President Rodrigo Duterte is under pressure to make good on an election promise to cut congestion, but poor public transport, politics and traffic experiments that favour the rich have made the task a tall order.

The Philippine president has gone out of his way to improve relations with Beijing but tensions in the South China Sea seem likely to cast a long shadow over his upcoming visit.

China says its nationals are being targeted by gambling firms, resulting in hundreds of millions of yuan illegally flowing into the Philippines, and its citizens are being subjected to ‘modern slavery’ in the Southeast Asian nation.

Ronald Cardema tried to claim a seat in the House of Representatives as the nominee of a party representing the president’s young supporters, but at 34 years old, he wasn’t legally a youth.

Manila ‘owns the West Philippine Sea but China controls it’, the president said in his State of the Nation address, which also saw him ask Congress to reimpose the death penalty for drug-related crimes.

Protesters staged a rally in front of the Chinese consulate, while a survey found most Filipinos want the country to take back China-controlled islands in the disputed waterway.

The Philippine ship did not have a proper lookout and had too many crew aboard, according to the report.

Impeachment threats recently surfaced after Duterte said he would allow Chinese fishermen to fish within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

The Philippine president has been criticised for being too soft on China in his response to the sinking, but experts say working together could stop the investigation from turning into a squabble over jurisdiction in the waterway.

The captain of the Chinese vessel was ‘duty bound legally and morally’ to stop and check whether the other boat’s occupants were OK, Benigno Aquino said.

A strong showing by the president’s allies in midterm elections has paved the way for him to ‘transform the political system’. But proceedings were marred by malfunctioning vote counting machines

Tokyo’s new openness to foreign workers is expected to lure more than 50,000 Filipinos to the country by 2025. But would-be expats should be cautious – not only is the work hard, experts warn flawed labour policies lead to abuse.