Tag - philippines

 
 

PHILIPPINES

"I’ve been doing this for 40 years and it just keeps getting worse,” Bunyut Chaosamut said. "We are sea people; we can’t just quit and start growing rice or planting rubber trees.”
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
May 22, 2026
Southeast Asia’s fishermen are being pushed to the brink by fuel costs
High fuel prices linked to the Iran war are hitting Southeast Asia’s seafood industry hard, forcing boats to stay ashore and raising costs across the supply chai
India has appealed to citizens to drop overseas trips and avoid gold purchases to protect a rupee that is among the world's ​biggest losers since war in the Middle East reduced crude supplies.
BUSINESS / Markets / ANALYSIS
May 22, 2026
Asia’s currencies are flashing the oil shock alarm
Asia buys about 80% of oil shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, and stress in foreign exchange markets is one of the clearest signs of rising fuel prices starting to hurt growth.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping greets U.S. President Donald Trump outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing during their two-day summit on May 14.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 20, 2026
How will Japan react to Trump’s China pivot?
For Tokyo, the critical issue is whether the U.S. is fundamentally rethinking its approach toward China — and whether that shift could leave Japan dangerously exposed.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. speaks during a news conference at the Malacanang Palace in Manila on March 25.
JAPAN / Politics
May 19, 2026
Philippines’ Marcos says Japan defense posture on summit agenda amid Taiwan concerns
Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will discuss Japan’s new defense posture at a summit next week with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in talks also likely to touch on Taiwan.
The war in Iran is fueling currency crises in energy-importing countries, underscoring the need to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles and renewable energy to shield economies from fossil-fuel shocks.
COMMENTARY / World
May 18, 2026
The energy crisis is becoming a currency crisis
The biggest losers include the Egyptian pound, the Philippine peso, the South Korean won and the Thai baht.
Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte announces her intention to run for the country's presidency in 2028 during a news conference in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, on Feb.18.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 18, 2026
Sara Duterte trial to open next phase of Philippine political turmoil
The political drama is rattling a country with a weak economy and may limit the ability of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to stem the bleeding.
Leaders and other officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations pose for a group photo during the opening ceremony of the 48th ASEAN summit in Cebu, Philippines, on May 8.
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2026
Why ASEAN chose silence amid the growing Gulf crisis
In Cebu, much of the summit’s energy went into drafting a statement broad enough to avoid offending any member state.
A Japanese Type 88 surface-to-ship missile system is launched during the maritime strike iteration of the joint Balikatan military exercises in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, in the Philippines, on May 6.
JAPAN
May 16, 2026
Japan considers missile exports to the Philippines, reports say
Tokyo last month unveiled its biggest overhaul ​of defense export rules in decades, scrapping restrictions ‌on overseas ‌arms transfers.
The Reserve Bank of India headquarters in Mumba on April 8
BUSINESS / Economy
May 14, 2026
War turmoil saps Asian reserves with Philippines and India hit most
The slide in reserves adds to evidence that Asia has been one of the biggest losers from the Middle East conflict due to its reliance on energy imports.
SWAT members stand outside the Philippine Senate, where Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa has sought refuge from an International Criminal Court warrant, in Pasay City in Metropolitan Manila on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 14, 2026
Political tension in the Philippines escalates after Senate gunfire
Philippine Sen. Ronald dela Rosa has sought refuge in the Senate after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant against him over his role in a deadly drug crackdown.
The exterior view of the Hague Penitentiary Institution, which also serves as a United Nations Detention Unit (UNDU) that holds those on trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC), in Scheveningen, The Hague, on March 11, 2025
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
May 14, 2026
Inside Duterte’s ICC detention center
A cell measuring nine square meters, one hour’s exercise outside and a weekly budget of €25 for treats: welcome to the new world of former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte.
Philippine Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, ​the chief enforcer of former President Rodrigo Duterte's deadly "war on drugs," answers questions from journalists at the Senate in Pasay City, Metro Manila, on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 12, 2026
Duterte ally flees agents in Philippine Senate to avoid arrest under ICC warrant
Closed-circuit television caught images of Sen. Ronald dela Rosa dashing down hallways and up emergency stairwells to evade arrest.
Philippine soldiers pose for a picture in front of a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Type 88 surface-to-ship missile launcher and other equipment during the annual Balikatan joint military exercises in Paoay, Ilocos Norte province, Philippines, on May 6.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 12, 2026
The Philippines emerges as an Indo-Pacific security pivot
The rise of China refocused attention on the sprawling archipelago, given the country’s critical location straddling Southeast Asian sea lanes.
Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte in February 2025
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 11, 2026
Duterte outflanks Marcos with surprise plot to sink impeachment
The maneuver sends a strong signal that the trial at the Senate could be stalled or lead to an acquittal.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro (second from right) speak to soldiers during the Balikatan annual military exercises in Paoay, in the Philippines' Ilocos Norte province, on Wednesday.
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 9, 2026
From observer to contributor: Japan’s growing military role in Philippine drills
Several of the drills were conducted in northern Philippine areas facing Taiwan and the South China Sea, locations increasingly seen as central to deterrence planning.
Asia’s budget airlines are struggling under soaring jet-fuel costs, facing flight cuts and higher fares, while governments are urged to intervene to prevent failures similar to the collapse of U.S.-based Spirit Airlines.
COMMENTARY / World
May 7, 2026
Asian budget carriers need help to avoid Spirit’s fate
Unlike the region’s flagship carriers, low-cost providers aren’t backed by sovereign wealth funds.
A man runs past national flags of ASEAN member states outside a media center in Cebu on Tuesday, ahead of the 48th ASEAN Summit to be held this week.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 7, 2026
Energy crisis front and center as ASEAN leaders prepare for summit
The energy crisis will force Manila leadership to craft a ​regional response while preventing regional conflicts in Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia from slipping down the agenda.
A Japanese Type 88 surface-to-ship missile system is launched during the Balikatan military exercises in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, the Philippines, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
May 6, 2026
Japan’s SDF fires antiship missiles for first time in Philippine military drills
The launches hit a mock enemy ship about 75 kilometers off the shores of Paoay, Ilocos Norte, in the country’s northwest.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. shake hands after a bilateral meeting in Manila on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 5, 2026
Japan eyes ‘early transfer’ of used warships and aircraft to Philippines
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro reached a wide-ranging deal to further promote defense equipment and technology cooperation.
A worker cultivates rice plants at a farm in Bangkok. Rice supply is expected to fall this year due to impacts of the Iran war and an emerging El Nino weather phenomenon that is set to usher in hotter, drier conditions.
BUSINESS
May 1, 2026
From surplus to strain: Iran war and El Nino threaten global rice supply
Rice is central to global food security, and even small supply disruptions can ripple through countries, raising prices and straining household budgets.

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The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival