ILIGAN CITY, Philippines (AP) — Islamic State group-linked militants swept through a southern Philippine city, beheading a police chief, burning buildings, seizing a Catholic priest and his worshippers and raising the black flag of IS, authorities said Wednesday. President Rodrigo Duterte, who had declared martial law across the southern third of the nation, warned he … Continue reading
SIERRA MADRE MOUNTAINS, Philippines (AP) — Communist guerrillas warned that a peace deal with President Rodrigo Duterte’s government is unlikely to be reached if he won’t end the Philippines’ treaty alliance with the United States and resist foreign control by other countries he’s trying to befriend, like China and Russia. In a clandestine news conference … Continue reading
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine police van rammed into protesters, leaving several bloodied, as an anti-U.S. rally turned violent Wednesday, October 19, 2016, at the American Embassy in Manila. The van’s driver, police officer Franklin Kho, told reporters he did not deliberately hit the protesters but was trying to drive away from them because … Continue reading
BEIJING (AP) — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced that his country is separating from the U.S. in a speech before a Beijing economic forum on Thursday October 20, 2016, after handing China a major diplomatic victory, agreeing to resume dialogue on their South China Sea territorial dispute following months of acrimony. The rapprochement between the … Continue reading
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor said Thursday, October 13, 2016, that she is “deeply concerned” about reports of extrajudicial killings of suspected drug dealers and users in the Philippines. Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda also said that statements by “high officials” in the Asian nation “seem to condone such killings.” The written … Continue reading
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A former Filipino militiaman testified before the country’s Senate on Thursday, September 15, 2016, that President Rodrigo Duterte, when he was still a city mayor, ordered him and other members of a liquidation squad to kill criminals and opponents in gangland-style assaults that left about 1,000 dead. Edgar Matobato, 57, told … Continue reading
VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) — As bodies continue to pile up in his war on illegal drugs, the Philippine president is making waves at his first summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations where he joins a diverse cast of leaders, including some who have found themselves in the crosshairs of human rights watchdogs. Rodrigo … Continue reading
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Boxing star Manny Pacquiao said Thursday that he respects Nike’s decision to sever ties with him over his comments about gay relationships but stood pat on his opposition to same-sex marriage and added he’s happy that “a lot of people were alarmed by the truth.” The American apparel giant said Wednesday … Continue reading
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Benigno Aquino III gave a red-carpet welcome to Japan’s emperor Wednesday in a sign of blossoming ties between the two nations, both mired in territorial disputes with China, while further moving past painful memories of Japan’s World War II aggression. Aquino and Emperor Akihito held talks at Manila’s Malacanang … Continue reading
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