https://www.scmp.com/rss/524546/feed The latest news and top stories on Jonvic Remulla, Philippine Interior Secretary. He assumed this national role in October 2024, having previously served multiple terms as Governor of Cavite, where he was recognised for good governance and making the province an economic powerhouse. His current responsibilities include overseeing the Philippine National Police and local government units. Remulla is actively leading efforts to eradicate illegal offshore gaming operators, linking them to crimes... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com 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 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The death of a senior public works official alleged to have played a central role in the billion-peso flood-control scandal in the Philippines has cast fresh doubt over the future of a months-long corruption probe, with investigators now facing questions over lost testimony and compromised evidence. Legal analysts say the investigations now risk unravelling altogether, warning that the probe is “in peril” after the loss of a figure seen as pivotal to understanding how alleged budget manipulation... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338128/after-key-officials-death-can-philippines-flood-control-probe-still-deliver-answers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338128/after-key-officials-death-can-philippines-flood-control-probe-still-deliver-answers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 09:30:14 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk A Philippine cabinet minister has claimed that fugitive former lawmaker Zaldy Co intends to build a five-storey basement within a luxury home to store money, as more revelations of the widening flood-control corruption scandal surface. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla made the claim at a press conference on Tuesday, saying government checks of applications to a private village association and building permits suggested the Forbes Park property in Makati – one of Metro Manila’s most exclusive... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337637/philippine-ex-lawmaker-accused-building-5-level-basement-store-money?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337637/philippine-ex-lawmaker-accused-building-5-level-basement-store-money?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Dec 2025 09:54:50 +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 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Eight officials from the Philippines’ Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have been arrested, marking a more assertive phase in President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s response to the sprawling flood control corruption scandal. Analysts, however, have described the step as narrowly focused on minor players, noting that investigators have yet to confront the high-profile lawmakers and contractors accused of driving the scheme, raising doubts about how far the inquiry is prepared to reach. The... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333990/8-arrested-philippine-flood-control-scandal-will-big-fish-get-away?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333990/8-arrested-philippine-flood-control-scandal-will-big-fish-get-away?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 13:30:47 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk The governor of a Philippine province still reeling from being hit by two typhoons has defended his decision to fly out of the country despite the government banning officials from foreign travel so that they can lead disaster response. Isabela Governor Rodolfo Albano III also doubled down, saying that he would stay until the end of an agricultural fair in Germany because it was “very important” for his province. “I’m going to [go] home as soon as possible but if everything is OK there, I think... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3332520/philippine-governor-typhoon-hit-province-defends-germany-trip-despite-travel-ban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3332520/philippine-governor-typhoon-hit-province-defends-germany-trip-despite-travel-ban?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 11:56:32 +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 As the strongest storm of the year hits the Philippines, all eyes are on President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, whose government is facing a torrent of public scrutiny on disaster risk management in the wake of corruption-linked flood control projects. Super Typhoon Ragasa, known locally as Nando, made landfall on Monday, just a day after the country witnessed protests across cities in which thousands marched to voice outrage at trillions of pesos spent on “ghost” flood control projects and widespread... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3326477/super-typhoon-ragasas-fury-adds-philippine-president-marcos-flood-woes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3326477/super-typhoon-ragasas-fury-adds-philippine-president-marcos-flood-woes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2025 04:05:31 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles Mass protests swept across the Philippines as Super Typhoon Ragasa approached, with citizens from all walks of life venting outrage at deepening corruption, particularly over the alleged plunder of funds from flood control projects meant to shield communities from disasters. The demonstrations in cities across the country that took place on Sunday – loosely organised through social media, university groups, churches and word of mouth – marked perhaps the country’s largest protests in years... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3326439/philippine-protests-voices-mark-moral-outrage-dangerous-hopeful-period?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3326439/philippine-protests-voices-mark-moral-outrage-dangerous-hopeful-period?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2025 14:50:40 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles A controversy over an alleged overpriced firearms deal has intensified in the Philippines, with insiders claiming that national police chief Nicolas Torre III was removed from his post for rejecting a proposed procurement of 80,000 assault rifles – a transaction some believe was padded by billions of pesos. While officials framed Torre’s dismissal as an administrative matter, multiple sources told This Week in Asia he was sacked for rejecting the “overpriced” 8 billion Philippine peso (US$140... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324564/was-philippine-police-chief-sacked-rejecting-us140-million-overpriced-gun-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324564/was-philippine-police-chief-sacked-rejecting-us140-million-overpriced-gun-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 14:03:53 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen Beijing has warned Chinese students planning to study in the Philippines of safety risks for Chinese nationals, amid tensions over the South China Sea. In a statement on Friday, China’s Ministry of Education urged students to “carefully assess security risks” and “strengthen safety awareness” before heading to the Southeast Asian country. “Recently, public security in the Philippines has been unstable, with frequent crimes targeting Chinese citizens. The Ministry of Education reminds all... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3318691/amid-south-china-sea-dispute-china-warns-students-beware-safety-risks-philippines?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3318691/amid-south-china-sea-dispute-china-warns-students-beware-safety-risks-philippines?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Jul 2025 07:00:10 +0000