Tag: Philippines

6.1 Magnitude Earthquake Jolts Mindanao Island in Philippines

An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 struck Mindanao island in the Philippines at 9:23 a.m. local time on Tuesday, according to the United State Geological Survey (USGS). The quake registered from a depth of 19 km (11 miles), the agency said. Tremors started in the region an hour before the large quake, according to monitoring by…


Philippine Storm Death Tolls Climbs to 123 as Army Aids Search

MANILA—The Philippine military pledged on Thursday to keep up search and rescue efforts after tropical storm Megi ripped through central areas this week, burying many under landslides and killing at least 123 people. Megi was the first cyclone this year to hit the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands that sees an average…


Philippines Rescuers Race to Find Survivors After Storm Wreaks Havoc

MANILA—Rescue teams in the Philippines faced a race against time on Tuesday in the search for 28 people missing and feared dead, after tropical storm Megi unleashed heavy rains and deadly landslides in southern and eastern areas of the country. National and local disaster agencies reported five more deaths in central and southern Philippines on…


Pacquiao Vows Philippine Fishermen Will Not Be ‘Bullied’ by China If Elected President

Philippine boxing icon turned presidential candidate Manny Pacquiao vowed Friday to protect Filipino fishermen from being “bullied” by Chinese coastguards in the disputed South China Sea if elected president. Pacquiao said that he would deploy navy ships to the disputed area of the sea, where Chinese coastguard vessels have repeatedly harassed and driven away Filipino…


US, Filipino Forces Start War Drills in Region Facing Taiwan

MANILA, Philippines—Thousands of American and Filipino forces began on Monday one of their largest combat exercises in years that will include live-fire maneuvers, aircraft assaults, urban warfare, and beach landings in a showcase of U.S. firepower in the northern Philippines near its sea border with Taiwan. The annual exercises, called Balikatan—Tagalog for shoulder-to-shoulder—will run up…


Philippines Evacuates Residents as Small Volcano Spews Mile-High Plume

MANILA—A small but restive volcano south of the Philippine capital spewed a 1.5 km (almost 1 mile) plume on Saturday, prompting authorities to raise an alert level and evacuate more than a thousand residents. The alert for the Taal volcano, about 70 km (45 miles) south of central Manila, was increased to level 3 from…


VIDEO: Injured Eagle Swoops Into Man’s Van While He’s Driving in Jungle, So He Nurses It Back to Health

A man vacationing in Tanay, Philippines, had an unusual passenger get into his van while he was driving—entering by flying through the open window. That “passenger” was a bird, a serpent eagle to be exact. It landed on the passenger seat right beside Renante Balbuena, 33, while he was driving slowly down a road in…


Philippines Relaxes Anti-COVID Measures as Cases Diminish

The Philippines government has placed the capital Manila and 38 other areas under the country’s least restrictive COVID-19 alert level, following a decline in the number of infections, a government official said on Monday. Karlo Nograles, the acting spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte, said in a statement that alert level 1 will be in force…


Philippines Signs $624 Million Deal for 32 Black Hawks

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines signed a 32 billion-peso ($624 million) deal Tuesday to purchase 32 Black Hawk helicopters in the largest military aircraft acquisition contract under outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, defense officials said. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana signed the deal with Janusz Zakrecki, president of Poland-based aerospace manufacturer PZL Mielec, to acquire the S-70i Black Hawks,…


Philippines, Like New Zealand, Rejects Burma in Trade Pact

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines has followed New Zealand’s decision to reject the inclusion of Burma (also known as Myanmar) in the world’s largest free trade pact as international opposition to the military takeover that sparked violence and democratic setbacks in the Southeast Asian nation broadened into trade and diplomatic sanctions. Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. told his…