Page 10 - Philippines

Jaishankar, Manalo co-chair 5th India-Philippines co-operation commission

The two leaders discussed a number of key areas of cooperation including cooperation in trade and investment, defence, health, medicine, agriculture, and others

India, Philippines underline commitment to strengthen bilateral relations

The Philippines Secretary for Foreign Affairs on Wednesday said India and the Philippines are working together to amplify their voices for the developing world in the global discourse

We want 'robust' defence partnership with India: Filipino foreign secretary

The Philippines wants to develop a "very robust" defence partnership with India and is looking forward to procuring military hardware from it, Filipino Foreign Secretary Enrique A Manalo said on Wednesday amid concerns in Manila over China's increasing military muscle-flexing in the South China Sea. Delivering a lecture at a leading think tank here a day ahead of his talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Manalo said his country has "repeatedly" challenged Chinese presence in the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of the Philippines in the South China sea and will continue to do so. The Filipino foreign secretary, on a four-day visit to India, said the 10 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries and China have been engaged to formulate a code of conduct (CoC) for the South China Sea, but he appeared unsure about a positive outcome. The code is envisioned to prevent any military conflict in the South China Sea, a region that has overlapping territorial claims

Lava pours from Mayon volcano, thousands warned to be ready to flee

Lava poured from the crater of the Philippines' most active volcano Monday, prompting officials to warn tens of thousands of villagers to be prepared to flee if the gentle eruption turns into a violent and life-threatening explosion. More than 13,000 people have left the mostly poor farming communities within a 6-kilometre radius of Mayon volcano's crater in mandatory evacuations since volcanic activity increased last week. But an unspecified number of residents remain within the permanent danger zone below Mayon, an area long declared off-limits to people but where generations have lived and farmed because they have nowhere else to go. With the volcano beginning to expel lava Sunday night, the high-risk zone around Mayon may be expanded should the eruption turn violent, said Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. Bacolcol said if that happens, people in any expanded danger zone should be prepared to evacuate to emergency shelters. "Wh

TVS Motor announces launch of NTORQ 125 race edition in Philipppines

Two and three-wheeler maker TVS Motors on Monday announced the launch of the TVS NTORQ 125 Race Edition at the Makina Auto Show in Philippines. The vehicle comes with TVS SmartXonnect TM that lets the rider connect their smartphone to the scooter, unlocking a host of smart connected features. These can be accessed through an advanced, fully digital instrument cluster that is loaded with 60 plus features, a company release said. "Since the launch, TVS NTORQ 125 has been a favourite among Gen Z customers in the Philippines due to its striking appearance and connected features with TVS SmartXonnect TM," J Thangarajan, President Director, PT TVS Motor Company, Indonesia,was quoted as saying. He added, the launch of TVS NTORQ 125 has been received very well in Philippines. "The scooter has become an immediate favourite and we are sure the new Race Edition will further find acceptance from the customers seeking an element of thrill and performance," he added.

Philippines to partner with US, India to construct digital public infra

The House of Representatives passed on third reading an e-governance bill on March 6. A counterpart bill in the Senate is currently at the committee level

Earthquake of 4.5 magnitude hits Litayan in Philippines, says USGS

The earthquake occurred at 02:43:27 (UTC+05:30) and hit Litayan, Philippines on Tuesday, at a depth of 592.5 km, the USGS informed

RBI rejects Bajaj Fin's plan for Philippines operations over FATF concerns

Philippines has been increasingly coming under the lens of the Financial Action Task Force, and has already been designated as an FATF grey list country

Earthquake of magnitude 6 hits Philippines, no damage or casualty reported

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6 rocked the Philippines on Thursday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said

Digital lending firm Lentra enters Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam

Company aims to reach $100 mn in annual recurring revenue by March 2024 in South East Asia nations

Piaggio Vehicles announces entry of Ape Electrik 3-wheeler in Philippines

Piaggio Vehicles Pvt Ltd (PVPL), the Indian subsidiary of Italian auto major Piaggio Group, on Tuesday announced the entry of its electric three-wheeler Ape Electrik in the Philippines for last-mile mobility. The electric three-wheeler will be manufactured at PVPL's Baramati manufacturing facility in Maharashtra. "For Piaggio Vehicles, entry into the Philippines is a stepping-stone towards accelerating the adoption of EVs across the world and towards a sustainable planet. "We see huge export potential to the market and also aim to meaningfully contribute to their EV ambitions," said Diego Graffi, Chairman and Managing Director, Piaggio Vehicles Pvt Ltd. These vehicles will be powered by the SUN Mobility's advanced battery-swapping technology. To be available in the Philippines through a subsidiary of Rusco Motors Inc, the vehicle will be the country's first electric three-wheeler for last-mile mobility, it said. SUN Mobility has further strengthened its association with Piaggio a

Onions turn 'currency' in Philippines for a day for food bank programme

A retail store in the Philippines accepted onions as "payment" for select in-store items as part of an onion-raising drive for a "community pantry" or food bank project

Philippine Supreme Court voids oil exploration pact involving China

The Philippine Supreme Court on Tuesday declared unconstitutional a 2005 pact by China, the Philippines and Vietnam to jointly explore for oil in the disputed South China Sea, a decision that also brings other proposed agreements into doubt. The decision by 12 of the court's 15 justices voided the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking agreement by state-owned companies in the three nations, which are among Asian countries locked in decades-long territorial disputes in the busy waterway. Two justices dissented and one was on leave and did not vote. The court did not immediately make public the full decision and only released highlights in a statement. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who took office in June last year, expressed willingness to revive failed negotiations for joint oil exploration with China in a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Beijing last week. The court ruled that the 2005 agreement violated the constitution by allowing the state-owned oil companies o

Philippines inflation rate rose to 8.1% in December 2022: Reports

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said faster food inflation is driven by higher prices of vegetables

Massive floods in Philippines leave 51 dead, over a dozen missing

The death toll in the massive floods that devastated parts of the Philippines over the Christmas weekend has climbed to 51, with 19 others missing, the national disaster response agency said Monday, as affected residents struggle to get back on their feet. Photos on social media showed residents in Misamis Occidental province in Northern Mindanao sweeping away thick mud from the floors of their homes. In the seaside village of Cabol-anonan, coconut trees were uprooted and huts made of light material were nearly flattened. The Northern Mindanao region in the south bore the brunt of the disaster, reporting 25 deaths, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Most of the deaths were from drowning and landslides, and among the missing were fishermen whose boats capsized. Floods have subsided in most of the areas hit by bad weather that disrupted Christmas celebrations in the eastern, central and southern Philippines. But over 8,600 of the nearly 600,000 .

Philippines President Marcos seeks agreements in China amid tensions

The Philippines says President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. hopes to sign a number of agreements during a visit to Beijing next week that comes amid ongoing territorial disputes in the South China Sea. A statement from the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said a number of projects were under discussion, including in agriculture, renewable energy, nickel processing, tourism, and bridge construction. Marcos is due to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during his January 3-5 visit at the head of a large business delegation. China accounts for 20 per cent of the Philippines' foreign trade and is also a major source of foreign direct investment. Despite those economic ties, the sides have repeatedly feuded over China's claims to islands and waters in the strategically key South China Sea, referred to by Manila as the West Philippine Sea. During the visit, the sides plan to sign an agreement to boost communication between diplomats at various levels to avoid miscalculation

Heavy rains, floods in Philippines leave 32 dead, 24 people missing

Heavy rains and floods that devastated parts of the Philippines over the Christmas weekend have left at least 32 dead and 24 missing, the national disaster response agency said on Thursday. More than 56,000 people were still in emergency shelters after bad weather disrupted Christmas celebrations in the eastern, central and southern Philippines. Images from the southern province of Misamis Occidental showed rescuers carrying an elderly woman on a plastic chair as they waded through a flooded street. Some residents in the province were seen hanging on to floaters as coast guard rescuers pulled them across chest-deep floods using a rope. Eighteen of the 32 deaths were reported in the Northern Mindanao region, while 22 of the 24 missing were from Eastern Visayas in the central Philippines and the eastern Bicol region, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said. Most of the deaths were from drowning while among the missing were fishermen whose boats capsized, the

VP Kamala Harris to visit and support Philippines island amid sea feud

Vice President Kamala Harris would underscore America's commitment to defending treaty ally the Philippines with a visit that starts Sunday and involves flying to an island province facing the disputed South China Sea, where Washington has accused China of bullying smaller claimant nations. After attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Thailand, Harris will fly to Manila Sunday night to meet President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the next day for talks aimed at reinforcing Washington's oldest treaty alliance in Asia and strengthening economic ties, a senior US administration official said in an online briefing ahead of the visit. On Tuesday she'll fly to Palawan province, which lies along the South China Sea, to meet local fishermen, villagers, officials and the coast guard. She is the highest-ranking US leader so far to visit the frontier island at the forefront of the long-seething territorial disputes involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and ...

World Bank warns of heavy toll on Philippines due to climate change

Climate shocks, whether in the form of extreme weather events or slow-onset trends, will hamper economic activities, damage infrastructure, and induce deep social disruptions, the report said

Nearly 100 dead, dozens missing in storm-ravaged Philippines: Official

Nearly 100 people have died in one of the most destructive storms to lash the Philippines this year with dozens more feared missing after villagers fled in the wrong direction and got buried in a boulder-laden mud slide, while more than a million others were swamped by floodwater in several provinces, officials said Monday. At least 53 of 98 people who died mostly in flooding and landslides were from Maguindanao in the Bangsamoro autonomous region, which was swamped by unusually heavy rains set off by Tropical Storm Nalgae. The storm blew out of the country and into the South China Sea on Sunday, leaving a trail of destruction in a large swath of the archipelago. A large contingent of rescuers with bulldozers and backhoes resumed retrieval work in southern Kusiong village in the hard-hit province of Maguindanao, where as many as 80 to 100 people, including entire families, are feared to have been buried by a boulder-laden mudslide or swept away by flash floods that started overnig