Advertisement
The Philippines
This Week in AsiaPolitics

Philippines in 2025: a year of crisis, from corruption scandal to South China Sea tensions

Deepening political feuds, ex-president Duterte’s ICC arrest and the South China Sea dispute have reshaped the Philippine landscape

Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
1
Protesters wearing masks depicting the faces of Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte and President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr march during a rally to mark the International Human Rights Day in Manila on December 10. Photo: AFP
Sam Beltran
As the Philippines wraps up a tumultuous year punctuated by colourful barbs thrown across warring political houses, an ongoing corruption scandal surrounding flood control projects threatens to derail President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s administration.

Externally, Manila has been embroiled all year in a long-standing territorial row with Beijing in the South China Sea that shows no signs of waning, while also gearing up for the hot seat as next year’s chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

We recap below the headlines for the Philippines in 2025:

Philippine coastguard personnel treat wounded fishermen inside their vessel in the disputed South China Sea on December 13. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard via AP
Philippine coastguard personnel treat wounded fishermen inside their vessel in the disputed South China Sea on December 13. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard via AP

Water wars

Tensions between the Philippines and China over disputed waters in the South China Sea heightened following Beijing’s announcement in September of the approval of a national nature reserve at Scarborough Shoal, just 124 nautical miles west of Zambales province.
Advertisement
This came a month after a China Coast Guard (CCG) and navy ship collided while the former was trailing a Philippine Coast Guard vessel during a resupply mission in the area.

The row also came to a head this month, as Manila accused CCG ships of firing water cannons at Filipino fishing vessels near Sabina Shoal, which injured three fishermen and caused significant damage to their boats.

Advertisement

Throughout the year, Beijing has taken more assertive measures in its claims over contested waters, deploying two long-range H-6 bombers in March around the Scarborough Shoal.

Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x