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Alan Robles
Alan Robles has been a journalist for more than 30 years and has written for the SCMP since 2002. A freelance foreign correspondent specialising in politics, development, foreign affairs, science, environment and IT, he has a humour column at abs-cbnnews.com and runs the political satire site hotmanila.ph. He lectured for 12 years on digital media at the Internationales Institut fuer Journalismus in Berlin.
The rally in support of the Duterte family at the EDSA Shrine, the symbolic site of the 1986 uprising, has fizzled out within a week.
Officials say the Russian vessel was not in Philippine territorial waters during its maritime exercise with the Malaysian navy.
The US president-elect’s interest in containing China militarily and supporting the Philippines’ defence remains an open question.
Manila has accused Beijing of deliberate intimidation and harassment, stoking fears of a broader crisis erupting in the South China Sea.
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A convicted trafficker’s explosive testimony has implicated the former first family in the very narcotics trade they vowed to eradicate.
The two sides reached an apparent agreement, but insiders and analysts suggest tensions could yet flare again despite the talks.
The Philippines is considering involving units from other countries in its regular resupply missions to a flashpoint in the South China Sea.
‘Sky Masters’ depicts a Chinese invasion of the Philippines, but observers say such a premise is implausible given security concerns today.
Their churning South China Sea quarrel has now reached ‘boiling point’ – and Filipinos are demanding action.
Beijing’s narrative gels with North Korean and Russian thinking. But analysts doubt such an alliance could ever be – if history is any guide.
In a televised interview, Guo revealed that she was an abandoned child of a man who was a Chinese citizen and a domestic helper.
Alice Leal Guo, mayor of small town Bamban, was unable to provide details about her early life and background during a senate hearing.
The armed forces’ modernisation, spurred by maritime skirmishes with China, has seen it acquire military assets and revamp its defence strategy.
Observers speculate the investigation is politically motivated by President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s ongoing feud with his predecessor.
Manuel Mamba has been tossed out of office for illegally using public funds just as joint military exercises involving Manila and Washington take place in his province.
Firebrand ex-leader Rodrigo Duterte says his successor is a ‘crybaby’, with the two trading jibes over drug-use accusations and their opposing South China Sea stances. Will they ever bury the hatchet? ‘It’s complicated’.
Joint statement by the three leaders makes it clear the Washington summit was aimed at opposing China’s recent maritime activities.
The ICC has called for translators in Tagalog and Cebuano, languages involved in the crimes against humanity trial against the ex-Philippine leader.
The timing of the vermin outbreak led to speculation it could have been engineered in response to news of the airport’s privatisation, or an attempt to discredit the current government.
President Marcos Jnr recently described his country as a frontline state, in remarks that recalled the Philippines’ dark chapter of being colonised by Japan.
It’s a far cry from 2022, when supporters from both sides worked together for the campaign of Marcos Jnr and his vice-presidential running mate, Duterte’s daughter Sara.
Manila and Washington are united in their opposition to China’s ‘maritime expansionism’, analysts say – but some in the Philippines fear mounting provocations could tip over into war.
In addition to long-time ally the US, the Philippines is expanding its military alliances with Japan, Australia and Germany.
How safe are Philippine government websites? Don’t ask the agency whose password was apparently “Admin123”.
Opponents call Marcos ‘shamelessly entitled’ and ‘callous’ for having fun in Singapore barely two weeks after Typhoon Noru left death and destruction on Luzon island.
A YouTube video shows Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jnr talking of reliance on a “troll army” to “keep political fortunes alive”.
Bongbong Marcos has indicated he’s keen to adopt the Duterte administration’s stance of appeasement towards the South China Sea dispute, while Robredo has criticised Beijing’s ‘bullying’ behaviour.
The history and lack of international influence of the Philippines is examined in The Making of the Modern Philippines: Pieces of a Jigsaw State, by Philip Bowring.
Bongbong Marcos Jnr and his family face arrest in the US for defying a court order to pay US$353 million to human rights victims.
The BBM campaign relies on a disinformation network which attacks Marcos’ rivals and perpetuates falsehoods about them, analysts say.
