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Raissa Robles
Raissa Robles has written for the SCMP since 1996. A freelance journalist specialising in politics, international relations, business and Muslim rebellion, she has contributed to Reuters, the Economist Intelligence Unit, Daily Mail, Times of London, Radio Netherlands and Asiaweek. She runs the award-winning investigative and opinion blog, raissarobles.com. Her book, Marcos Martial Law: Never Again, a brief history of the dictatorship won the 2017 National Book Awards for Non-Fiction. Her Twitter handle is @raissawriter.
Raissa Robles has written for the SCMP since 1996. A freelance journalist specialising in politics, international relations, business and Muslim rebellion, she has contributed to Reuters, the Economist Intelligence Unit, Daily Mail, Times of London, Radio Netherlands and Asiaweek. She runs the award-winning investigative and opinion blog, raissarobles.com. Her book, Marcos Martial Law: Never Again, a brief history of the dictatorship won the 2017 National Book Awards for Non-Fiction. Her Twitter handle is @raissawriter.
The leadership change could prove critical as the Senate leader presides over the trial of an impeached vice-president.
Defence chief Gilberto Teodoro says the Diaoyu Islands are now considered a ‘serious concern’ and the Balikatan drills will also be expanded.
Duterte-Carpio’s camp has accused administration allies of pressuring legislators to support the impeachment or risk withdrawal of funds.
The vice-president’s husband has also filed a complaint against senior officials and lawmakers for ‘leaking’ the couple’s bank information.
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Japan’s participation in the Balikatan drill and its new weapon export rules are set to further defence ties between the two countries.
Duterte’s lawyers argue that the crimes against humanity case targeting him should not proceed as the Philippines is not an ICC member.
Given the rivalry between Washington and Beijing, joining the annual military exercise may risk being seen as picking the US, analysts say.
Manila said tests found cyanide in bottles seized near the Second Thomas Shoal, rejecting Beijing’s claim that the evidence was manufactured.
Judges are set to decide by late April whether to send Duterte’s case to trial, with any proceedings expected to move at a ‘glacial pace’.
Critics oppose the return of Japanese troops over Tokyo’s lack of a formal apology for the wartime abuse of Filipino ‘comfort women’.
The return marks an upgrade from the region’s previous ‘hub and spoke’ strategy to one of overlapping minilaterals, experts say.
A record 83 per cent of women in the Philippines now say they find domestic life as fulfilling as a career, a 30-year high.
The Philippine military claims the 56-year insurgency is near the finish line. But veteran rebels say the roots of rebellion remain.
A failed Senate conviction could ultimately strengthen Duterte-Carpio ahead of the presidential 2028 race, observers warn.
Social media posts claim US bases in the Philippines are like ‘bullseyes on Filipino soil’, prompting the military to debunk the disinformation.
Analysts say Marcos is doubling down on the country’s ‘transparency initiative’ while engaging Beijing diplomatically behind closed doors.
The government-backed drive is the latest in a series of creative campaigns aiming to shape public narrative around the maritime dispute.
Abolishing the much maligned travel tax is a good start but the whole system needs an overhaul, critics say.
The letter by Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro warns against public exchanges that could narrow the country’s ‘diplomatic space’.
Jose Manuel Romualdez says he delivered the invite in person to President Marcos, who is mulling the idea.
Public attention is now turning to two separate impeachment complaints filed against Vice-President Sara Duterte.
The exercise may risk economic damage, but could also show how a political crisis could be tackled using constitutional means, analysts say.
The move to boost security around Malampaya East-1 is seen as a test case for protecting future offshore energy projects in contested waters.
An impeachment complaint against Marcos refers to the channelling of health insurance funds to flood control projects.
The project is expected to significantly expand the coastguard’s fleet at a time of growing operational demands in Philippine waters.
Observers said the filing could trigger procedural limits that would block more substantive impeachment bids.
Analysts warn of a ‘very messy year’ ahead as coup fears swirl, the economy falters and political warfare rages out in the open.
The visiting forces deal comes on top of similar pacts with other nations and could help the Philippines attain a ‘muscular defence arsenal’.
