https://www.scmp.com/rss/522267/feed The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is the national military organisation of the Philippines, headquartered at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. Its primary mission is to uphold national sovereignty, defend the territory against foreign and domestic threats, and support the Constitution. The AFP engages in traditional defence, counter-insurgency operations, and international peacekeeping. Notably, it also undertakes significant non-military activities, including disaster relief, humanitarian... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Raissa Robles Raissa Robles At least 1,000 Japanese armed combat troops will set foot on Philippine soil next month for the first time in 81 years since World War II. Their return, as part of the joint Philippine-US Balikatan military training drills, also signals a dramatic shift in the development of the Indo-Pacific security architecture from a “hub-and-spoke” strategy to one of multiple, overlapping minilaterals, with the region seen as one undivided theatre, experts say. Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief-of-Staff... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348064/japanese-combat-troops-return-philippines-significant-indo-pacific-defence-shift?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348064/japanese-combat-troops-return-philippines-significant-indo-pacific-defence-shift?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 02:01:47 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles Supporters of former president Rodrigo Duterte have amplified viral claims that Iran could target the Philippines in retaliation for US actions in the Middle East, a narrative analysts say is being used to portray the country’s defence ties with Washington as a threat to national security. The rumours spread widely enough online that the Armed Forces of the Philippines felt compelled to issue a public rebuttal. On Tuesday, armed forces spokeswoman Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said there was... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345317/duterte-allies-use-iran-war-threat-attack-philippines-us-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345317/duterte-allies-use-iran-war-threat-attack-philippines-us-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 01:00:11 +0000 Jeoffrey Maitem Jeoffrey Maitem The Philippines cannot afford an aircraft carrier, could not sustain one if it had it and, according to most analysts, does not need one. What it needs is messier, cheaper and harder to photograph, they say: a web of missiles, patrol boats, frigates and surveillance assets designed not to project power, but to deny it. Two recent developments have made that choice harder to ignore. Last month, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr openly mused that an aircraft carrier with “accompanying... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344910/indonesia-getting-aircraft-carrier-philippines-isnt-does-it-matter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344910/indonesia-getting-aircraft-carrier-philippines-isnt-does-it-matter?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 02:00:22 +0000 Cao Jiaxuan Cao Jiaxuan China has accused the Philippines of “deliberately stoking maritime tensions” following reports Manila had warned it would stage military exercises across a large area of the disputed South China Sea for more than two months. The move represents the first external military challenge facing China after two senior generals were placed under investigation on suspicion of corruption, and could serve as a test of Beijing’s ability to handle such tests at a highly sensitive time. The Philippine civil... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341859/china-says-philippines-stoking-tensions-large-scale-scarborough-shoal-drill?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341859/china-says-philippines-stoking-tensions-large-scale-scarborough-shoal-drill?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2026 13:00:15 +0000 Jeoffrey Maitem Jeoffrey Maitem The first documented case of a Filipino man who died fighting alongside Russian forces in the Ukraine war has raised concerns in the Philippines over coerced recruitment and sparked calls for compensation from Moscow. In a report released on Monday, Ukraine’s intelligence operations identified the body of John Patrick, a Filipino national, among Russian troops killed near the village of Novoselivka in the Donetsk region, marking the first such report of its kind. Kyiv officials said Patrick’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3341541/death-filipino-russia-ukraine-war-sparks-fears-forced-recruitment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3341541/death-filipino-russia-ukraine-war-sparks-fears-forced-recruitment?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 08:55:57 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles A visiting forces military deal to be signed between the Philippines and France has put the focus on “operational intimacy”, with observers noting that Paris has a presence in the Indo-Pacific and would serve Manila’s interests well in the contested waters of the South China Sea. The term was coined by French Ambassador to Manila Marie Fontanel, during a freewheeling discussion on Tuesday at her residence. In a bid to balance the implications of the alliance – a first for the Philippines with a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340187/philippines-france-near-defence-pact-boost-operational-intimacy-contested-waters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340187/philippines-france-near-defence-pact-boost-operational-intimacy-contested-waters?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jan 2026 10:38:13 +0000 Alan Robles,Raissa Robles Alan Robles,Raissa Robles A Philippine army colonel relieved for his anti-Marcos stance has “voluntarily” returned to his unit and will face charges and psychiatric evaluation, according to his superior. Audie Mongao was on Friday discharged from command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Training Support Group after he publicly withdrew support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr in a social media post, saying “it’s too much, enough already”. Army spokesman Louie Dema-ala said Mongao was “put into attached/unassigned... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339488/philippine-army-colonel-faces-charges-after-anti-marcos-post-goes-viral-amid-coup-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339488/philippine-army-colonel-faces-charges-after-anti-marcos-post-goes-viral-amid-coup-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:14 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles The Philippine military has opted to keep Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio in charge of an army reserve command despite her incendiary public remarks, even as it recently expelled a pro-Duterte lawmaker from the reserve force for politicised conduct. Military officers and defence observers said the contrasting treatment underscores how power, political risk and legal grey zones shape how the Armed Forces of the Philippines disciplines its reservists, as the rift between the president and his... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339179/uniform-justice-why-philippine-military-expelled-lawmaker-not-vp-sara-duterte?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339179/uniform-justice-why-philippine-military-expelled-lawmaker-not-vp-sara-duterte?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 09:30:09 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles The Armed Forces of the Philippines has hailed the sudden arrest of retired air force general Romeo Poquiz over inciting to sedition as within the “rule of law”, after a video surfaced of him openly urging the military chief to withdraw support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, whom he described as a drug addict. The country’s leader is grappling with a spiralling corruption scandal over billions of pesos squandered on anomalous flood control projects. Amid mounting public outrage, the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338819/philippine-military-backs-rule-law-after-ex-general-arrested-over-sedition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338819/philippine-military-backs-rule-law-after-ex-general-arrested-over-sedition?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jan 2026 00:00:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A former Philippine air force general accused of encouraging the military to abandon President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr was arrested on a charge of sedition on Monday at Manila’s international airport. Romeo Poquiz, who had publicly called for the armed forces to “withdraw their support” from Marcos amid a burgeoning corruption scandal, was detained by police after returning from a holiday in Thailand, interior department secretary Jonvic Remulla said. “He was arrested for the charge of sedition in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338739/philippine-ex-general-who-urged-troops-desert-marcos-arrested-sedition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338739/philippine-ex-general-who-urged-troops-desert-marcos-arrested-sedition?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jan 2026 05:50:09 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles Allegations that a small group of retired generals is trying to push the Philippines military to abandon President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr have intensified concerns about how susceptible the armed forces are to political pressure and extra-constitutional manoeuvres. Observers told This Week in Asia the retired officers appear to be drawing inspiration from the 2001 “EDSA Dos” uprising – when mass protests and a unified military command helped force President Joseph Estrada from office – but argued... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335346/philippines-vulnerable-another-military-triggered-political-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335346/philippines-vulnerable-another-military-triggered-political-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Dec 2025 10:00:14 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles The Philippine military has confirmed that plots to oust President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr were “not far-fetched”, but downplayed fears of a coup led by troops and said there was “no junta” forming within its ranks. “There is no such thing as a military junta within the [Armed Forces of the Philippines],” military spokeswoman Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said on Tuesday. Her comments come amid rising public anger over a corruption scandal linked to flood-control infrastructure amounting to 100... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334133/philippine-military-says-no-junta-its-ranks-warns-against-destabilisation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334133/philippine-military-says-no-junta-its-ranks-warns-against-destabilisation?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Nov 2025 12:53:15 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles A fugitive former Philippine lawmaker has accused President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr of directing him to add 100 billion pesos (US$1.7 billion) worth of dubious public works projects to the national budget, a claim that throws new fuel on the corruption scandal that has dogged his administration for months. Analysts say the explosive allegation, made in a video sent to reporters by ex-appropriations chairman Zaldy Co, could feed a wider destabilisation push by rival political blocs, including allies... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3332876/fugitive-ex-philippine-official-accuses-marcos-ordering-bogus-flood-control-projects?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3332876/fugitive-ex-philippine-official-accuses-marcos-ordering-bogus-flood-control-projects?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 13:45:26 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The United States and the Philippines have launched a new military task force designed to expand joint operational planning and coordination – a move analysts say underscores both countries’ determination to strengthen deterrence against Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea. While the initiative formalises years of expanding defence ties, observers view it as a turning point in how Washington and Manila intend to manage maritime tensions – shifting from symbolic shows of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3331404/south-china-sea-does-new-us-philippine-task-force-mark-turning-point-allies-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3331404/south-china-sea-does-new-us-philippine-task-force-mark-turning-point-allies-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Nov 2025 02:30:09 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Officials in the Philippines have hit back at the tirades of lawmaker Paolo Duterte, who accused the country’s armed forces of “gambling with Filipino lives” and called the military chief a “puppet of the CIA”. Observers say the allegations from the son of former president Rodrigo Duterte are aimed at resuscitating old narratives and pro-Beijing talking points to undermine the current administration. On Saturday, the younger Duterte published a statement on social media directed at Armed Forces... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330663/philippines-dutertes-cia-puppet-slur-ignites-fierce-military-backlash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330663/philippines-dutertes-cia-puppet-slur-ignites-fierce-military-backlash?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Oct 2025 04:00:09 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles Philippine military chief Romeo Brawner Jnr has revealed he recently rebuffed a group of eight retired generals and colonels who urged him to tackle rampant corruption in the country, a call sources have described as a push for a “soft coup” to withdraw support from President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and back Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio. General Brawner, who spoke to This Week in Asia after a briefing with the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (Focap) on Friday, said the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3328049/how-philippine-military-chief-foiled-soft-coup-bid-undermine-marcos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3328049/how-philippine-military-chief-foiled-soft-coup-bid-undermine-marcos?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Oct 2025 02:00:12 +0000 Alan Robles Alan Robles As the Philippines’ coastguard struggles to patrol vast, contested waters with a handful of ageing planes and helicopters, a single politician’s larger private fleet has become a lightning rod for public anger over corruption and the chronic underfunding of the country’s defence forces. At the heart of the scandal is Zaldy Co, who until January chaired the powerful House Appropriations Committee – a position that granted him sweeping powers over the national budget. The discovery of six... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3327475/philippine-coastguard-finds-itself-outmatched-politicians-private-air-fleet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3327475/philippine-coastguard-finds-itself-outmatched-politicians-private-air-fleet?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 05:16:45 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles Coup rumours swirled in the Philippine capital over the weekend, with the military placed on “red alert” and all leave for its personnel cancelled, ahead of planned protests against corruption in state-funded flood control projects. Sources close to and within the military confirmed to This Week in Asia that certain private individuals, former generals and groups were trying to persuade active-duty officers to withdraw their support for Commander-in-Chief and President Ferdinand Marcos... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325600/philippine-military-red-alert-coup-rumours-swirl-anti-corruption-protests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325600/philippine-military-red-alert-coup-rumours-swirl-anti-corruption-protests?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Sep 2025 09:01:37 +0000 Jeoffrey Maitem Jeoffrey Maitem A US proposal to train Filipino fishermen as informants, tasked with reporting illegal fishing and environmental degradation by foreign vessels, has triggered concern that civilians could be thrust into the front lines of the South China Sea dispute. Jonathan Fritz, US principal deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, outlined the initiative during a round-table discussion at the US embassy in Manila on Thursday. Despite Washington’s recent overhaul of its foreign... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325008/us-plan-use-filipino-fishermen-informants-raises-south-china-sea-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325008/us-plan-use-filipino-fishermen-informants-raises-south-china-sea-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 08:30:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Philippines’ potential purchase of F-16 fighter jets from the United States has been put on hold due to budget constraints, Manila’s ambassador to Washington said on Tuesday. The US State Department approved the potential sale, valued at an estimated US$5.6 billion, earlier this year in what was seen as a significant capability boost for the Philippine Air Force amid rising regional tensions. “Right now, I think it’s on hold, mainly because … the funding is the key element of this whole... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3324874/philippines-pauses-purchase-plans-f-16s-us-due-funding-chokepoint?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3324874/philippines-pauses-purchase-plans-f-16s-us-due-funding-chokepoint?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Sep 2025 07:51:39 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China says it has taken “control measures” against two Philippine vessels near the Sierra Madre, a warship grounded on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, as tensions re-emerge in the contested waters of the South China Sea. In a short statement on Friday morning, China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu accused the two Philippine ships deployed from the Sierra Madre of “deliberately engaging in provocative collisions” when approaching a Chinese coastguard vessel. He did not specify when the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322763/south-china-sea-beijing-asserts-control-measures-against-philippine-ships-shoal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322763/south-china-sea-beijing-asserts-control-measures-against-philippine-ships-shoal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 05:51:21 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles The Armed Forces of the Philippines has slammed as “fabricated” a video about an alleged stand-off with the Royal Malaysian Navy over contested Sabah waters and fishing rights. Manila’s navy confirmed it had sent a guided missile frigate, the BRP General Antonio Luna, to Malaysia for a long-planned joint military exercise. On Twitter and Facebook, the armed forces late on Tuesday said a circulating 12-minute YouTube video entitled “Philippines vs. Malaysia: Tensions Rise over Sabah and the South... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321754/philippine-military-slams-fabricated-video-stand-malaysian-navy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321754/philippine-military-slams-fabricated-video-stand-malaysian-navy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Aug 2025 11:41:11 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The Philippines is taking part for the first time in Australia’s largest bilateral military exercises with the United States, joining thousands of troops from across the region for war games running until July 27. Analysts say the move reflects Manila’s broader strategy of reinforcing defence ties, not just with Washington but also with like-minded regional powers, as US allies increasingly seek to diversify their security relationships and assert greater strategic autonomy amid uncertainty over... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318615/philippines-debut-australia-us-war-games-new-normal-regional-defence-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318615/philippines-debut-australia-us-war-games-new-normal-regional-defence-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Jul 2025 10:30:44 +0000