Brigadier General Restituto Padilla said the airstrikes were aimed at Islamist militants
Clashes erupted on Tuesday last week, when gunmen waving black flags of the IS group
Visayas region are the group of island provinces in the central Philippines
Duterte announced plans to 'cleanse' the police force
Beijing says the islands are intended to boost maritime safety in the region while downplaying their military utility
The typhoon will affect an area populated by nearly 42 million people, including the capital Manila
Nock-Ten is expected to be packing winds of between 203-250 kilometres per hour
They were allegedly working illegally for a call center-like operation suspected to be a front for online gambling
The latest typhoon, Sarika, was named after a singing bird in Cambodia
Duterte has also said that Filipino forces would not participate in future joint patrols with the US in the South China Sea
Presidential spokesman also said that Duerte's statements signalled a shift towards a more independent foreign policy
After the flap over Duterte's earlier remarks, he and Obama met briefly on the sidelines of the Laos meetings and shook hands
The Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte can hardly afford to pick a fight with the US, given his country's ties to the world's largest economy
Philippines said that images showed Chinese ships at the shoal last weekend that were capable of dredging sand and other activities required to build an artificial island
Numbers might increase as as administration is determine to continue its war against drugs
President Duterte had said that the Philippines will 'separate' from the UN after the body criticised his war on illicit drugs
Warden was seriously injured in last night's explosion
Of those affected, over 500 persons were being served in 13 evacuation centres
Arroyo was jailed in 2011 under the administration of then president Benigno Aquino, who made her a high-profile scalp of his anti-corruption campaign
Tension in the South China Sea has increased in recent years with governments trading constant accusations