Page 3 - Philippines

IPO-bound NephroPlus expands ops in Philippines, acquires 5 more clinics

IPO-bound NephroCare Health Services Ltd on Friday announced the acquisition of five new dialysis clinics in the Philippines, bringing its total footprint in the country to 39. The newly acquired clinics include Santiago, Isabela Dialysis Center, Cabuyao, Laguna Dialysis Center, Binondo, Manila Dialysis Center, CP Garcia Ave, Diliman, Quezon City Dialysis Center and E Rodriguez, Quezon City Dialysis Center. The Hyderabad-based company entered the Philippines market in fiscal 2020 and has since expanded rapidly, growing from 3,614 treatments per month in fiscal 2021 to 22,073 treatments per month in fiscal 2025. "This expansion marks a milestone in our journey in the Philippines, which has now become one of our key countries of operations after India," Rohit Singh, Group CEO of NephroCare Health Services, said in a statement. NephroCare Health Services, known for its NephroPlus brand, initially expanded into the Philippines by acquiring a majority stake in Royal Care Dialysis Clinic

TCS, Now Corporation partner to boost Philippine digital infrastructure

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on Monday said it has partnered with NOW Corporation's telecom arm to boost digital infrastructure and enable financial inclusivity in the Philippines. Now Telecom is a public sector telecommunications company in the Philippines offering services across mobile networks and fixed wireless. "Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a global leader in IT services, consulting, and business solutions, has partnered with NOW Corporation's telecom arm Now Telecom, a public sector telecommunications company, to bolster national digital sovereignty, enable financial inclusivity, and build a clean network for the Philippines," according to a release. With this Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in place, the release said, TCS will support the company with capabilities to expand trusted networks, provide sovereign cloud technology and a cyber-defence suite, alongside creating citizen-centric services in areas such as healthcare and digital banking, promoting financial .

Philippines to be involved in war over Taiwan, despite PRC protests: Marcos

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Monday his country would inevitably be drawn kicking and screaming into any war over Taiwan due to its proximity to the self-ruled island and the presence of large numbers of Filipino workers there, despite China's strong protest over such remarks. Marcos also told a news conference that the Philippines' coast guard, navy and other vessels defending its territorial interests in the South China Sea would never back down and would stand their ground in the contested waters after the Chinese coast guard on Monday staged dangerous blocking maneuvers and used a powerful water cannon to try to drive away Philippine vessels from the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal. It's the latest flare-up of long-simmering territorial disputes in the busy waterway, a key global trade route, where overlapping claims between China and the Philippines have escalated in recent years. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also lay claims to parts of the contested .

Trade talks with India to begin soon: Philippines President Marcos

India and the Philippines are taking concrete steps towards launching formal negotiations for a Preferential Trade Agreement, Philippines President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr said on Wednesday. Addressing the 'India-Philippines CEO Roundtable Meeting', organised by FICCI, here, President Marcos emphasised that the Philippines and India see the PTA as a strategic platform to harness their shared strengths and elevate our economic partnership. "We are working to find common ground to make the PTA come as quickly as possible. We have found ways to quicken the process with strong support from both government and business chambers, we are taking concrete steps towards launching formal negotiations," he said, according to a release issued by FICCI. Marcos also stated that the government has taken a slew of measures to attract more Indian investments by ensuring ease of doing business in the Philippines. "These reforms show our commitment to create a truly enabling environment for ...

India announces free e-visas to tourists from the Philippines, boosts ties

The development comes after the Philippines earlier this year announced that it will grant visa-free entry to Indian nationals

Philippines President accorded ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan

Philippines President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan here on Tuesday. On his arrival at the Rashtrapati Bhavan complex, the visiting dignitary was received by President Droupadi Murmu in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. President Marcos, accompanied by First Lady Madame Louise Araneta Marcos, and an official delegation, arrived in New Delhi on Monday. During his five-day visit to India, he will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Modi and take part in several engagements to bolster ties between the two countries. This is his first visit to the country since assuming the office of the President of the Republic of the Philippines, the MEA earlier said. During the ceremonial reception at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan complex, he was also accorded a Guard of Honour. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, among other dignitaries, were present on

Modi-Marcos Jr talks will significantly deepen bilateral ties: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday called on Philippines President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr and asserted that his talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 5 will "significantly deepen our bilateral partnership". The President of the Republic of the Philippines kicked off his five-day State Visit to India on Monday. During his visit, Marcos Jr will meet President Droupadi Murmu, hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Modi, and take part in several engagements to bolster ties between the two countries. "Delighted to call on President @bongbongmarcos of the Philippines this evening in Delhi at the start of his State Visit. Confident that his talks with PM @narendramodi tomorrow will significantly deepen our bilateral partnership," the external affairs minister posted on X. He also shared a photo of their meeting. Modi and Marcos Jr are scheduled to hold bilateral discussions on August 5. The visit of President Marcos Jr coincides with the 75th anniversary of ..

Philippines President to visit India from Aug 4-8, to meet PM Modi, Murmu

Marcos after arrival in New Delhi on August 4 will meet with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar

Philippines' Marcos eyes India trade, defence in talks with PM Modi

Marcos' visit to India also comes at a time when the two nations, which face a similar security concern are improving defense ties

Tropical storm kills 25, forces 278K to flee in the Philippines this week

A tropical storm was blowing across the Philippines' mountainous north Friday, worsening more than a week of bad weather that has caused at least 25 deaths and prompted evacuations in villages affected by flooding and landslides. The storm was Typhoon Co-may when it made landfall Thursday night in the town of Agno in Pangasinan province with maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 165 kph. It was weakening as it advanced northeastward and had sustained winds of 100 kph Friday morning. Co-may was intensifying seasonal monsoon rains that had swamped a large swath of the country for more than a week. Disaster-response officials have received reports of at least 25 deaths since last weekend, mostly due to flash floods, toppled trees, landslides and electrocution. Eight other people were reported missing There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries directly caused by Co-may, locally called Emong, the fifth weather disturbance to hit the Philippines

China issues safety warning for its nationals studying in Philippines

China's Education Ministry issued a safety warning for Chinese students in the Philippines after what it said were a series of criminal incidents targeting them. The brief warning Friday did not identify any specific incidents but told students to increase their safety awareness should they choose to study in the Philippines. The number of Chinese students in the country was not given but enrolments have fallen to just a few hundred in recent years, according to the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post. Relations between the governments of China and the Philippines are particularly tense due to disputes over maritime claims in the South China Sea, which China claims almost in its entirety. China has used water cannons and other non-lethal shipboard deterrents to drive off Philippine fishing boats. Politically, China has dismissed a UN-backed court decision in The Hague that ruled out most of China's claims in the South China Sea and has expressed resentment over close ties .

India, Asean adopt new 5-year action plan at foreign ministers' meeting

In a post on X, he described the meeting as productive, which he had co-chaired with Theresa P Lazaro of the Philippines

Philippines sees travel surge from India after visa-free entry approval

India-to-Philippines travel jumps 28% as visa-free access and new Air India flights position the country as a preferred Southeast Asian destination for tourists

Chinese ship runs aground near Philippine-held island in South China Sea

A Chinese ship ran aground in stormy weather in shallow waters off a Philippines-occupied island in the disputed South China Sea, prompting Filipino forces to go on alert, Philippine military officials said Sunday. When Filipino forces assessed that the Chinese fishing vessel appeared to have run aground in the shallows east of Thitu Island on Saturday because of bad weather, Philippine military and coast guard personnel deployed to provide help but later saw that the ship had been extricated, regional navy spokesperson Ellaine Rose Collado said. No other details were immediately available, including if there were injuries among the crewmembers or if the ship was damaged, Collado said. Confrontations have spiked between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and navy ships in the disputed waters in recent years. "The alertness of our troops is always there, Col Xerxes Trinidad of the Armed Forces of the Philippines told reporters. But when they saw that a probable accident had happened

Asian Development Bank approves $800 million package for Pakistan

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved USD 800 million for Pakistan to strengthen fiscal sustainability and improve public financial management, an official said on Tuesday. Khurram Schehzad, advisor to the finance minister confirmed the development in a brief statement on social media, saying that the package includes a USD 300 million policy-based loan (PBL) and a USD 500 million programme-based guarantee (PBG). He said, ADB approves USD 800 million financing package for Pakistan under the Resource Mobilisation Reform Programme. Separately, the Philippines-based lender also confirmed the development in a statement, saying that subprogramme 2 of the Improved Resource Mobilisation and Utilisation Reform Programme includes a policy-based loan of USD 300 million, and ADB's first-ever policy-based guarantee of up to USD 500 million, which is expected to mobilise financing of up to USD 1 billion from commercial banks. Pakistan has made significant progress in improving macroeconomic

Philippines eyes India, Thailand rice to reduce reliance on Vietnam

The agriculture department is in talks with private importers on purchases from producers like India, Pakistan, Cambodia and Myanmar

Indians can enter Philippines visa-free for 14 days: All you need to know

As of May 2025, Indian citizens can enter the Philippines without a visa under two categories, depending on their eligibility.

Philippines to now allow visa-free entry to Indians: All you need to know

The 14-day visa-free entry may be extended by an additional seven days for a maximum of 21 days stay, the embassy said

Philippines launches digital nomad visa, joins likes of Thailand, Indonesia

The programme places the Philippines among a growing list of countries offering visas for remote workers

Japan PM to discuss Chinese aggression, US tariffs during Philippines visit

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is travelling to the Philippines on Tuesday seeking to further boost an alliance in the face of China's growing assertiveness in the region. Ishiba will meet Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos in Manila on Tuesday at the start of his two-day visit. Their talks are expected to focus on China's aggressive actions in the disputed South China Sea and East China Sea, a reaffirmation of their commitment to a three-way alliance with the United States, and the barrage of tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, officials said. Japanese and Philippine officials are expected to start negotiations this year on two defense pacts, including a proposed defense logistical agreement that would allow the provision of food, fuel and other necessities when Japanese forces visit the Philippines for joint training under a major defence accord that was signed last year and is expected to be ratified by the Japanese legislature. Another proposed agreement involv