General

Manila: The Philippines will continue to deploy maritime and air patrols to assert the country’s sovereignty and jurisdiction over Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc, despite mounting security challenges. National Security Council (NSC) Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya provided this assurance during the Stratbase Institute and Stanford University’s Sealight Project online forum titled “Scarborough Shoal: Facing Facts and Exploring Options.” According to Philippines News Agency, Malaya emphasized that notwithstanding the challenges, the Philippines is committed to supporting its fishermen and maintaining the nation’s territorial integrity. The country plans to increase its presence by regularly sending ships on maritime

Manila: The proposed construction of the Himamaylan-Tayasan tunnel connector in the Negros Island Region (NIR) is poised to spur growth in the newly formed administrative region and the rest of the Visayas, a key official of the Department of Economic Planning and Development (DEPDev) said on Wednesday. In a statement, DEPDev-NIR concurrent regional director Arecio Casing Jr. said the connector project would use the most relevant construction technology to achieve the safest, fastest, and economical mode of travel between the key cities east and west of Negros Island. According to Philippines News Agency, the tunnel connector, which will traverse the

Antique: Over 400 police personnel arrived in Antique as an augmentation force to ensure the peaceful conduct of the May 12 National and Local Elections (NLE) 2025. Lt. Col. Willy Diel, Antique Provincial Police Office (APPO) information officer, said in an interview Wednesday that the over 400 police personnel reported to their respective assigned police stations following their arrival on Tuesday evening. According to Philippines News Agency, the 400 police personnel will help secure the election paraphernalia, as well as assist the municipal police stations in the maintenance of peace and order. Diel mentioned that the augmentation was assigned to

Malaca±ang: The Philippine government has officially launched a comprehensive strategy aimed at ending insurgency and fostering sustainable peace through the issuance of Memorandum Circular (MC) 83, which mandates the adoption of the National Action Plan for Unity, Peace and Development (NAP-UPD) 2025-2028. This plan is set to serve as a strategic framework for the nation’s peace and development efforts over the next few years. According to Philippines News Agency, MC 83 was signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on May 2. The memorandum outlines specific action plans and strategies designed to operationalize a whole-of-nation approach to address the root causes

Manila: The Philippine government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), has called for a ‘peaceful resolution’ of issues in Kashmir as tensions escalate between India and Pakistan, after New Delhi launched a missile strike on Pakistan-administered areas in the region. ‘The Department is closely monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan. We call for a peaceful resolution to the current issues,’ said DFA Spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza in a statement on Wednesday. According to Philippines News Agency, India’s air strikes targeted nine locations in Pakistan in response to the terror attack in the Indian-administered town of Pahalgam in Kashmir