https://www.scmp.com/rss/523157/feed The latest news and top stories on Claire Castro, the Undersecretary of the Presidential Communications Office of the Philippines since February 2025. A trial lawyer with a Master’s degree in law, she was a prominent media personality, radio host, TV presenter, and podcaster providing legal advice. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The arrest of fugitive former congressman Zaldy Co has revived a long-stalled Philippine corruption investigation and sharpened political pressure on President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, whom the wanted lawmaker has accused of personally benefiting from a multibillion-peso kickback scheme tied to flood control projects. Observers called Co’s arrest a “notable step towards accountability” in a case that had stalled after the collapse of the commission set up to investigate it. Co resigned from the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3350513/arrest-philippine-ex-lawmaker-zaldy-co-missing-puzzle-piece-flood-control-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3350513/arrest-philippine-ex-lawmaker-zaldy-co-missing-puzzle-piece-flood-control-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:30:12 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has ordered an investigation after watching a viral video showing an employee from the Migrant Workers Office in Bahrain telling off overseas Filipino workers (OFW) stranded in the kingdom due to the escalating Iran war. “The president was not pleased with this. He became angry on behalf of our OFWs because of the mistreatment by some public servants,” the presidential palace’s press officer Claire Castro said, according to the Inquirer on... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3346328/philippines-marcos-angry-over-mistreatment-bahrain-based-ofws-official?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3346328/philippines-marcos-angry-over-mistreatment-bahrain-based-ofws-official?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 06:54:59 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran A Philippine lawmaker has provoked outrage for what critics said were misogynistic remarks about one of the country’s most famous celebrities while attempting to defend Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio at a hearing deliberating her impeachment charges. The remarks, made during deliberations of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Justice on Tuesday, prompted objections from female lawmakers, calls for his statement to be removed from the record and warnings from officials that such... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345431/outrage-philippines-over-lawmakers-sexist-remarks-defence-vp-sara-duterte?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345431/outrage-philippines-over-lawmakers-sexist-remarks-defence-vp-sara-duterte?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 10:31:08 +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 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles Dual impeachment cases were filed on Monday against Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte, marking a historic first with the nation’s top two officials each facing twin complaints accusing them of betrayal of public trust. Observers told This Week in Asia that the political exercise, while risking economic collateral damage, could show how a political crisis could be tackled through “institutionalisation” using constitutional means, instead of military intervention. Former congressman Neri... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3342147/philippines-faces-historic-dual-impeachments-marcos-duterte-political-crisis-deepens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3342147/philippines-faces-historic-dual-impeachments-marcos-duterte-political-crisis-deepens?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 14:54:57 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Extremist movements in the Philippines have come under scrutiny since it was revealed that two suspected terrorists had visited the country weeks before they killed 15 people in Australia, but observers argue that such threats have waned and officials should avoid “overreach” in linking the case. Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed Akram, 24, had allegedly opened fire on people at Sydney’s Bondi Beach during a Hanukkah celebration on Sunday. The older man was killed while Naveed was in critical... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337025/philippines-being-unfairly-targeted-australias-bondi-beach-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337025/philippines-being-unfairly-targeted-australias-bondi-beach-shooting?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 06:48:02 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The Philippine government is weighing whether a United Nations anti-corruption treaty can help track down and extradite a former lawmaker accused of being one of the masterminds behind the billion-peso flood control scandal and believed to be hiding overseas. Presidential press officer and undersecretary Claire Castro said Manila was studying a proposal by Senator Panfilo Lacson to tap the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) to help locate and extradite former congressman Zaldy Co. Co, who... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3336671/philippines-weighs-using-un-anti-corruption-treaty-zaldy-cos-extradition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3336671/philippines-weighs-using-un-anti-corruption-treaty-zaldy-cos-extradition?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 13:04:32 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk The Philippines’ first family has signalled its readiness to open its finances to scrutiny after allegations that President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s son received a disproportionate share of public works funding, deepening a political crisis that has already forced several senior officials from office. Such financial inspections – known locally as lifestyle checks and used to detect unexplained wealth among public officials – have taken on new urgency as the government confronts the widening... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335068/philippines-first-family-says-it-welcomes-scrutiny-wealth-dispel-graft-allegations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335068/philippines-first-family-says-it-welcomes-scrutiny-wealth-dispel-graft-allegations?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 10:13:37 +0000 Jeoffrey Maitem Jeoffrey Maitem Russia’s accusation that the United States and Germany are recruiting Filipino mercenaries to fight in Ukraine is almost certainly disinformation, analysts say. Yet the claim exposes how easily Southeast Asian nations can be drawn into the information crossfire of global conflicts – becoming unwitting pawns in great-power narratives that shape opinions far beyond the battlefield. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova alleged that “US representatives” had enlisted Filipinos to join... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334731/russia-claims-filipino-troops-are-fighting-ukraine-manila-calls-it-fake-news?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334731/russia-claims-filipino-troops-are-fighting-ukraine-manila-calls-it-fake-news?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 08:00:13 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles A searing public broadside by Senator Imee Marcos accusing her younger brother, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jnr, of using cocaine and cannabis has stunned the Philippines’ political establishment and intensified a bitter feud inside one of the country’s most powerful clans. Delivering her claims to a crowd of 600,000 at a rally organised by Iglesia ni Cristo – a religious group with historic ties to the Marcos family whose name translates to Church of Christ – Imee, 70, said she felt... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3333262/marcos-family-feud-philippine-president-microdoses-cocaine-sister-claims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3333262/marcos-family-feud-philippine-president-microdoses-cocaine-sister-claims?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 10:30:09 +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 President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr is facing growing unrest from retired generals, with some veterans even urging active commanders to withdraw support for the president, according to multiple senior military sources. At the centre of the discontent are two flashpoints: allegations that billions of Philippine pesos have been lost to fictitious flood-control projects and proposed pension changes that former officers say would leave them worse off than their civilian counterparts. The... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327434/unrest-philippine-military-ire-old-guard-could-spell-trouble-marcos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327434/unrest-philippine-military-ire-old-guard-could-spell-trouble-marcos?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Sep 2025 13:46:05 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The finger-pointing over violence purportedly initiated by a black-clad group during Sunday’s protests in the Philippines has led to critics accusing officials of trying to divert attention from mounting outrage at corruption-ridden flood control projects. During demonstrations that stretched from Luneta Park in Manila to the EDSA People Power Monument in Quezon City, violent outbursts emerged in pockets of the capital, such as on the Ayala Bridge and Mendiola, where masked individuals torched a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3326665/philippine-protests-finger-pointing-over-violence-hackers-political-rivals-blamed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3326665/philippine-protests-finger-pointing-over-violence-hackers-political-rivals-blamed?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 08:00:12 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The Philippines’ new acting transport secretary has likened his ride in an overcrowded bus in Manila recently to “going to war”, prompting him to order his officials to commute weekly on the country’s public transport system so they can experience the daily ordeal of Filipinos. The highly publicised move has drawn praise from some advocacy groups, but also brickbats from critics who argue it amounts to political theatre that sidesteps deeper transport and infrastructure failures. Giovanni Lopez,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3326192/philippines-transport-chief-slams-his-overcrowded-bus-ride-going-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3326192/philippines-transport-chief-slams-his-overcrowded-bus-ride-going-war?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Sep 2025 11:30:25 +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 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has ordered lifestyle checks on government officials as part of a sweeping review of flood control projects mired in allegations of corruption, but analysts warn the move risks being more symbolic than systemic. Presidential press officer Claire Castro confirmed the directive at a briefing on Wednesday, saying the checks would cover the entire executive branch, starting with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which oversees... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3323536/philippines-marcos-orders-lifestyle-checks-stem-flood-corruption-will-they-work?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3323536/philippines-marcos-orders-lifestyle-checks-stem-flood-corruption-will-they-work?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Aug 2025 12:35:28 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran In the dim glow of his bedroom, Clark* used to spend up to 18 hours a day gambling, his world distilled to the spinning reels and flashing lights of online betting apps. What began as casual wagers – just a few hundred pesos here, a thousand there – quickly escalated. One day, Clark placed a 7,000-peso (US$120) bet that, in a dizzying stroke of fortune, ballooned into 1.7 million pesos (US$30,000). With that huge win, he thought his luck had changed. Instead, it marked the beginning of a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3320499/inside-philippines-online-gambling-epidemic-its-worse-pogos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3320499/inside-philippines-online-gambling-epidemic-its-worse-pogos?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Aug 2025 00:00:11 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran A surge of doctored posts and artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes is sweeping Philippine social media, reinforcing partisan loyalties and exploiting the country’s fraught political divide amid an intensifying rift between the rival camps of President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and former leader Rodrigo Duterte. The flood of online disinformation – turbocharged by new technology and recycled tactics – is thriving in a digital ecosystem where engagement often outweighs accuracy, analysts... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318818/disinformation-and-ai-generated-content-drive-growing-partisan-divide-philippines?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318818/disinformation-and-ai-generated-content-drive-growing-partisan-divide-philippines?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Jul 2025 06:30:09 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles Three sacks weighted with sandbags recovered from the depths of a Philippine volcanic crater lake have added a dramatic new twist to the chilling case of at least 34 missing cock fighters, bolstering claims by a whistle-blower that the killings were orchestrated by a gambling tycoon with powerful political and police connections. The first sack, pulled from the murky waters of Taal Lake on Thursday, contained charred bones, according to the Department of Justice. Forensic tests have yet to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3317943/philippine-cock-fighters-deaths-duterte-drug-war-sack-bones-mark-mounting-mystery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3317943/philippine-cock-fighters-deaths-duterte-drug-war-sack-bones-mark-mounting-mystery?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Jul 2025 07:00:08 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela The Philippine foreign ministry has summoned the Chinese ambassador Huang Xilian after Beijing hit the former Senate majority leader with a travel ban for his stance on the South China Sea. Francis Tolentino, a key ally of President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, has been barred from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, according to a statement released by the Chinese foreign ministry last week. Beijing said the ban was the result of his “egregious conduct on China-related issues”. During a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3317423/philippines-summons-chinese-ambassador-over-travel-ban-former-senator?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3317423/philippines-summons-chinese-ambassador-over-travel-ban-former-senator?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jul 2025 11:13:08 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Philippine lawmakers have refiled a long-delayed bill legalising divorce in the country just a few days into the new Congress after its passage fell short in the previous term, with divorce advocates hopeful that the legislation will finally see the light of day. Lawmakers have been trying to pass a divorce law since 2005, but continue to face resistance in the Catholic-majority country. Nearly 79 per cent of Filipinos are Roman Catholic and the Philippines and the Vatican are the only countries... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3316926/philippine-lawmakers-revive-divorce-bill-will-it-be-passed-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3316926/philippine-lawmakers-revive-divorce-bill-will-it-be-passed-time?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Jul 2025 06:30:08 +0000