https://www.scmp.com/rss/523003/feed The latest news and top stories on Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Philippine Navy's Naval Inspector General and spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Raissa Robles Raissa Robles The Philippine military on Tuesday rejected Beijing’s claim that Manila had staged a “cyanide stunt” near a contested reef in the South China Sea, after Filipino officials accused Chinese fishermen of using cyanide around a grounded warship that serves as a military outpost. “We reject any statement that this is fabricated news,” said Navy Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, a spokesman for the Armed Forces of the Philippines. At the centre of the dispute is the BRP Sierra Madre, a derelict navy... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350083/philippines-rejects-chinas-claim-it-staged-cyanide-evidence-disputed-shoal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350083/philippines-rejects-chinas-claim-it-staged-cyanide-evidence-disputed-shoal?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:16:13 +0000 Jeoffrey Maitem Jeoffrey Maitem The United States is planning a fuel depot in the southern Philippines to support humanitarian and maritime security missions for its long-time ally in Asia, as part of a growing network of forward-based refuelling hubs in the Western Pacific. Located far from the flashpoint reefs at the centre of Manila’s maritime dispute with Beijing in the South China Sea, the depot marks what one observer called a “more mature and more serious stage” in the US-Philippine alliance: a shift from base access... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350066/us-philippines-ties-enter-more-mature-phase-planned-fuel-depot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350066/us-philippines-ties-enter-more-mature-phase-planned-fuel-depot?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:30:08 +0000 Alan Robles Alan Robles At least three Filipinos with ties to the country’s military have been arrested on suspicion of spying for Beijing, allegedly leaking information that sparked maritime confrontations in the disputed South China Sea. The case, which came to light last year during an ongoing multi-agency counter-intelligence effort, marks a new strategy of recruiting Filipinos for espionage instead of planting individuals with fake local identities in the country, according to Philippine Navy Rear Admiral Roy... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3347461/philippine-military-uncovers-alleged-new-beijing-spy-tactics-south-china-sea-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3347461/philippine-military-uncovers-alleged-new-beijing-spy-tactics-south-china-sea-row?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 05:15:07 +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 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles A leaked letter from the Philippines’ foreign secretary has exposed a fault line in the country over how to publicly confront Beijing in the South China Sea, days before the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) created its own maritime spokesman role. The new position was in addition to existing voices from the Philippine coastguard, armed forces and the National Maritime Council. The episode has cast a spotlight on a delicate balancing act in President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s China policy:... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343226/leaked-letter-exposes-fault-lines-philippines-south-china-sea-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343226/leaked-letter-exposes-fault-lines-philippines-south-china-sea-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 13:55:45 +0000 Jeoffrey Maitem Jeoffrey Maitem The Philippines is stepping up efforts to protect undersea cables – the unseen backbone of digital communications – as a string of regional and global incidents has sharpened concerns that seabed infrastructure could be targeted for sabotage or espionage. Officials and analysts say the moves signal that so-called grey-zone activities – coercive actions that fall short of open conflict – beneath the sea are no longer going unnoticed. The concern is not only physical damage to submarine cables but... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339336/philippines-ramps-protection-undersea-cables-amid-growing-grey-zone-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339336/philippines-ramps-protection-undersea-cables-amid-growing-grey-zone-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jan 2026 09:08:00 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles The Philippines has expressed confidence in countering China’s widening influence in contested waters as its navy presses ahead with expanding its fleet, joint activities with foreign partners and the use of unmanned systems. Analysts say these measures would boost the interoperability of the Philippine military across the sea and air, as the South China Sea dispute continues to dominate its security planning. “We are up to the challenge [posed by] … the People’s Liberation Army Navy, Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339264/philippine-navy-confident-it-can-navigate-south-china-sea-dispute-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339264/philippine-navy-confident-it-can-navigate-south-china-sea-dispute-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jan 2026 04:00:14 +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 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 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles The Philippine military has launched an unusually aggressive pushback against what it describes as a growing campaign to destabilise its personnel and ultimately unseat President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr. Army and navy officials have warned that disinformation campaigns, rogue recruitment drives and seditious messaging – often amplified on social media – pose a growing threat to military cohesion. The crackdown comes amid fears of a reprise of coup plots that rocked the country in previous... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330232/philippines-hits-hard-against-campaign-recruit-military-and-destabilise-state?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330232/philippines-hits-hard-against-campaign-recruit-military-and-destabilise-state?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Oct 2025 09:56:53 +0000 Alan Robles Alan Robles A wave of fake news and conspiracy theories has taken aim at the Philippine military, with viral claims of coup plots, foreign interference and high-level defections spreading rapidly on social media. Observers warn the campaign is fuelling political instability by exploiting public outrage over recent major corruption scandals. Several trace the effort to a network of loyalists and influencers aligned with former president Rodrigo Duterte, the chief political rival of President Ferdinand Marcos... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327831/fake-coup-and-cia-plot-rumours-philippines-fuelling-real-political-turmoil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327831/fake-coup-and-cia-plot-rumours-philippines-fuelling-real-political-turmoil?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Oct 2025 05:30:08 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles The Philippines has warned China that any attempt to board or tow away its grounded warship at the Second Thomas Shoal would be crossing a “red line” after Manila detected a sharp rise in Chinese maritime activity around the disputed feature in the South China Sea. Philippine Navy Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, spokesman for West Philippine Sea operations, told reporters on Tuesday that the military was closely monitoring a surge in Chinese maritime activity near the shoal, including the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3323393/philippines-warns-china-not-cross-red-line-over-grounded-warship-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3323393/philippines-warns-china-not-cross-red-line-over-grounded-warship-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Aug 2025 12:55:40 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles Maritime tensions between the Philippines and China have entered what analysts describe as a risky and potentially volatile phase after an accidental collision between two Chinese vessels near Scarborough Shoal, one of the most contested features in the South China Sea. The rare mishap involving the vessels from the Chinese coastguard and navy during a high-speed chase of a Philippine coastguard ship has raised the risk of Beijing adopting a more aggressive posture as it seeks to save face,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322558/philippines-assures-china-restraint-after-ship-clashes-will-tensions-ease?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322558/philippines-assures-china-restraint-after-ship-clashes-will-tensions-ease?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Aug 2025 13:15:09 +0000