The Philippines
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The Philippines

The Philippines
The Philippines
Latest news, in-depth features and opinion on the Philippines, covering politics, economy, society, and Manila’s relationships with China and its Southeast Asian neighbours.
Chinese visitors arriving in the Philippines via Cebu’s Mactan-Cebu International Airport will be able to enter without a visa for a two-week stay from Friday. Photo: Shutterstock
China-Philippines relations

Philippines offers 2-week visa-free stays to lure Chinese tourists

The waiver will apply to travellers arriving in Metro Manila and Cebu and will be in place for a year.

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Asean

Asean urged to rethink stance as Myanmar election risks normalising junta rule

China-Japan relations

New deal eases logistics for Japan-Philippines drills amid China tensions

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Japan

Philippines ‘comfort women’ demand apology during Japan foreign minister visit

Analysts say Manila is unlikely to back the surviving victims of sex slavery, fearing it could jeopardise billions in infrastructure funding.

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Protesters display placards and portraits of former Filipino “comfort women” during a rally in Manila last year. Photo: AFP
Myanmar

Philippine minister’s ‘premature’ Myanmar visit casts doubts over Asean’s role

Critics say the visit may be viewed as the bloc’s new chair endorsing a controversial junta-led election in Myanmar.

South China Sea

‘Strategic patience’ key for Beijing in South China Sea and other disputes

SCSPI’s Hu Bo said maritime disagreements with Manila and Tokyo would continue but that Beijing had ‘overwhelming advantages’.

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India

Opinion | Is India fuelling an arms race in Asia or closing a deterrence gap?

The challenge for New Delhi is to solve its deterrence shortfall without letting competition harden into permanent confrontation.

Indian soldiers take part in a military drill during a media tour ahead of India’s Independence Day, near the Line of Control that divides India and Pakistan at Sunderbani, Jammu and Kashmir, India, on August 12, 2025. Photo: AP
South China Sea

Claims of lies, coercion in Beijing-Manila war of words over South China Sea

On Monday, a Manila maritime council accused China of aggressive tactics; the next day Beijing said the Philippines was ‘provoking trouble’.

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Malaysia

‘No oil here’: Malaysians turn US embassy space post into foreign-policy satire

The embassy’s International Space Station image prompted self-deprecating jokes about oil, US power and being strategically uninteresting.

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SCMP Highlights

Matricide in Indonesia, Philippine Airlines’ viral video: 7 Asia highlights

From India becoming the world’s fourth largest economy to Philippine Airlines’ viral safety video, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Screenshot from Philippine Airlines’ new soap opera-styled safety video. Photo: Philippine Airlines
Asean

Opinion | Why US ops in Venezuela have shaken Asia-Pacific’s middle powers

Middle powers fear a return to ‘rules of the jungle’ geopolitics as rival powers carve out spheres of influence.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Japan

Japan’s top diplomat heads to Philippines with South China Sea top of mind

The talks are likely to focus on Manila’s push for a South China Sea code with ‘teeth’ as this year’s Asean chair, analysts say.

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Tourism

Philippine tourism chief’s magazine cover draws backlash as visitor numbers slip

Christina Frasco’s cover appearance has drawn accusations from critics that self-promotion is being prioritised over strategy and results.

Viral stories

Filipino woman worships green statue for 4 years, finds out it is animated character Shrek

Woman treats green ogre figure with great reverence; says she will continue to worship ‘kind-hearted’ cartoon statue.

A woman in the Philippines spent four years worshipping a green Buddha statue, only to be told by a friend that it was a 3D-printed figure of the animated character Shrek. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/IG@thetropixs
Ferdinand Marcos Jnr

Exclusive | Philippine army colonel faces charges after anti-Marcos post goes viral

Audie Mongao will also undergo psychiatric tests after he sparked a political storm by withdrawing support for the president.

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Philippine army colonel Audie Mongao’s actions are under military investigation. Photo: Facebook/YourPhilippineArmy
Medicine

Soaring healthcare costs in the Philippines: are doctors’ fees to blame?

Doctors have hit back, saying that they are being unfairly blamed for deeper systemic failures in healthcare financing.

Natural disasters

1 killed, 38 missing after sudden garbage avalanche at Philippines landfill

Landfills and dumpsites in the Philippines have long posed safety risks, especially where poor residents scavenge for food and recyclables.

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Video | Sea of faith fills Manila for Black Nazarene procession

The day-long event began before dawn, with devotees seeking to touch the centuries-old statue believed to confer blessings.

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Crime

Philippine police arrest teenager over alleged online baby sale as cases rise

Police said the teenager had posted the offer online and intended to use the money to cover her tuition.

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Infrastructure

Why the Philippines is taking control of undersea cable security

The moves will help strengthen regional stability and prevent Indo-Pacific connectivity from being quietly weaponised, analysts say.

Hong Kong politics

Outside In | To root out corruption, Hong Kong fire probe must go beyond scapegoats

Public procurement failures often reflect government responsibility, and Hong Kong’s fire investigation must confront that reality.

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Members of the independent investigation committee of the Wang Fuk Court fire, wearing protective suits, inspect the fire scene on December 23. Photo: Jelly Tse
Hong Kong courts

Domestic helper gets 5 months’ jail in Hong Kong for abusing 11-month-old baby

Principal magistrate says that, although the baby turned out to be fine, the offence was serious and involved a breach of trust.

Eastern Court has heard the guilty plea of the helper, who admitted to ill-treating the baby. Photo: Eugene Lee
Aviation

Soap opera in the sky: why Philippine Airlines’ safety video became a viral hit

The melodramatic Filipino teleserye-style video has racked up millions of views online by blending safety rules with storytelling.

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South China Sea

Philippine navy ‘up to the challenge’ of defending territory in South China Sea

Manila is banking on modern ships and global alliances to challenge China’s increasing presence in the contentious waters.

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Ferdinand Marcos Jnr

Uniform justice? Why Philippine military expelled a lawmaker but not VP Duterte

Sources said legal ambiguity and political risk shaped how the armed forces handled two high-profile reservist cases.

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Then Davao mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio is donned with the rank of colonel in the Armed Forces of the Philippines Reserve Command during a ceremony at Davao City Hall in February 2018. Photo: Facebook / Armed Forces of the Philippines
Ferdinand Marcos Jnr

Philippines investigates claims of Chinese dredger using ‘30 identities’

A US-based maritime monitoring group has alleged a Chinese ship used different identities and flags while working in Philippine waters.

A Philippine Coast Guard patrol vessel sails along Manila Bay on December 16, 2025. Photo: AFP
South China Sea

Opinion | Why coastguards, not warships, are shaping future of South China Sea

The test is not claimants resolving their disputes but whether they preserve the infrastructure that keeps encounters from becoming a crisis.

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McDonald's

McDonald’s Philippine rival Jollibee to list global business in the US by 2027

The spin-off and potential US listing of Jollibee Foods Corporation would include all of the company’s businesses outside its home market.

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