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Tag: philippines

  • Photos: Typhoon displaces thousands in northern Philippines

    Photos: Typhoon displaces thousands in northern Philippines

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    Typhoon Doksuri has lashed northern Philippine provinces with ferocious wind and rain, displacing nearly 16,000 villagers as it blew tin roofs off rural houses, flooded low-lying settlements and knocked out power.

    There were no immediate reports of casualties on Wednesday after the storm slammed into Fuga Island off Aparri town in Cagayan province, where 15,843 people were evacuated from high-risk coastal villages. Schools and workplaces were shut down as a precaution as Doksuri approached. Thousands of people in other northern provinces were also displaced by the typhoon, which has a 700-kilometre-wide (435-mile-wide) band of wind and rain.

    Doksuri weakened slightly but remained dangerous and lethal with sustained winds of 175kmph (109mph) and gusts of up to 240kmph (149mph). It was blowing over the coastal waters of the Babuyan Islands in Luzon Strait off Aparri town on Wednesday morning, forecasters said.

    At least four towns lost power due to the onslaught and six bridges were impassable due to flooding, Cagayan officials said in an initial damage report.

    Coastguard personnel used rubber boats and ropes to evacuate villagers trapped by brownish, waist-level floodwaters in their houses in a village in Bacarra town in Ilocos Norte.

    More than 3,700 interisland ferry passengers and cargo truck drivers, along with nearly 100 passenger and cargo vessels, were stranded in several ports where a no-sail order was imposed, the coastguard said.

    Although it is not poised for a direct hit, Doksuri’s outer bands brought heavy rain and strong winds to Taiwan’s eastern coast on Wednesday. Trains were cancelled between Kaohsiung and Taitung cities in the south, while ferries to outlying islands have also been put on pause.

    Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau reported gusts up to 198kmph (123mph).

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  • “Here Lies Love,” the Imelda Marcos dance-pop musical

    “Here Lies Love,” the Imelda Marcos dance-pop musical

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    “Here Lies Love,” the Imelda Marcos dance-pop musical – CBS News


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    She was the wife of President Ferdinand Marcos, under whom martial law was imposed in the Philippines, until their rule was ended by a “People Power” revolution in 1986, when Imelda and Ferdinand Marcos were forced into exile in the U.S. Their story is now being told in a disco-pop musical, “Here Lies Love,” featuring the first all-Filipino company on Broadway. Correspondent Elaine Quijano talks with David Byrne (of the rock group Talking Heads) about creating an immersive musical based on the Marcoses’ lives set in a dance club; and with cast members Lea Salonga (a Tony-winner for “Miss Saigon”), Arielle Jacobs and Jose Llana.

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  • Lea Salonga heads the first all-Filipino cast of a Broadway show in ‘Here Lies Love’

    Lea Salonga heads the first all-Filipino cast of a Broadway show in ‘Here Lies Love’

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    Lea Salonga is back on the stage where her Broadway journey first began. But she isn’t playing someone Vietnamese or Chinese or Japanese at the Broadway Theatre.

    For the first time in her storied career, the Filipino musical legend is actually playing a Filipino. What’s more, she is surrounded by an all-Filipino cast and she is part of a team of mostly Filipino producers that includes singer H.E.R., comedian Jo Koy and Black Eyed Peas’ Apl.de.Ap.

    Even when she was the lead at the same theater in “Miss Saigon” in 1991 and acted her way to a Tony Award, Salonga never imagined a Filipino-dominated production would become reality. She’s topped other all-Asian Broadway casts (“Flower Drum Song,” “Allegiance” ) but Filipino culture was never the one spotlighted.

    Thousands of poor Filipinos risk their lives by living and working in villages inside a permanent danger zone around Mayon volcano.

    FILE - White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan takes a question from a reporter at a press briefing at the White House in Washington, Monday, April 24, 2023. National security advisors from the United States, Japan and the Philippines, in their first such trilateral talks Friday, June 16, 2023 agreed to strengthen their defense cooperation, as Washington and its partners seek to reinforce their alliances to adapt to growing tensions over North Korea, China and Ukraine, Sullivan said. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

    The national security advisers of the United States, Japan and the Philippines have held their first joint talks and agreed to strengthen their defense cooperation.

    Students hold class under trees because the school was converted into a temporary evacuation center at Malilipot town, Albay province, northeastern Philippines, Thursday, June 15, 2023. Thousands of residents have left the mostly poor farming communities within a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) radius of Mayon's crater in forced evacuations since volcanic activity spiked last week. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

    Nearly 20,000 people have fled from an erupting volcano in the Philippines and are sheltering in schools, disrupting the education of thousands of students.

    Chinese navy sailors wave as they arrive on board their naval training ship, Qi Jiguang, for a goodwill visit at Manila's port, Philippines Wednesday, June 14, 2023. The Chinese navy training ship made a port call in the Philippines on Wednesday, its final stop on a goodwill tour of four countries as Beijing looks to mend fences in the region. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)

    A Chinese navy training ship with hundreds of cadets has made a port call in the Philippines, its final stop on a goodwill tour of four countries as Beijing looks to mend fences in the region.

    “There’s absolutely no ‘effing way that I would have seen this happening. Ever,” Salonga told The Associated Press in an interview earlier this month. “So, for it to be happening while I’m still actually strong enough to be on my feet and be a part of it, I’m just incredibly grateful.”

    The anticipation of getting to play a Filipino character for the first time is something shared by the entire company of “Here Lies Love.” The first Broadway show with an all-Filipino ensemble opens July 20, a decade after it played off-Broadway.

    But this isn’t some light and airy musical. It chronicles the dictatorship of Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos in the 1970s and ‘80s and the pro-democracy People Power Revolution movement. Jose Llana, who was in the original iteration, and Arielle Jacobs play the dictator and first lady Imelda Marcos.

    Musicians David Byrne and Fatboy Slim provide the soundtrack. The theater is laid out like a nightclub complete with disco ball. Audiences can choose to join or be in a standing-only area, making them feel a part of the party.

    The praise for the groundbreaking representation has nearly been eclipsed by criticism, a lot of it from other Filipinos, arguing that the Marcos regime should not be musical fodder. This comes over a year after Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was proclaimed president in the Philippines. He has ignored his father’s massive human rights violations.

    Salonga has vivid memories of watching news reports with her parents at home in the Philippines as the anti-Marcos People Power Revolution instigated a government overthrow. She also had friends who were out there in the chaos. So she understands why some people may have reservations about the show.

    But “Here Lies Love” is more about the sacrifices made by anti-Marcos leaders like Ninoy Aquino (played by “How to Get Away with Murder” star Conrad Ricamora), she argues. August will mark 40 years since Aquino was assassinated at the airport in Manila, creating a flashpoint in the movement.

    “It seems to be more of him and how his death sparked this anger and rage in a country and how it led to the People Power Revolution and how that led to the ousting of the Marcoses,” said Salonga, who plays Aquino’s mother, Aurora. “I come away with feeling hopeful when the show comes down. Because I saw in real time what was happening.”

    Llana, who was born in Manila but raised in the U.S., is playing the man who drove his family to flee their country. When he told his parents 10 years ago he’d be portraying Marcos off-Broadway, they watched the show without hesitation and liked it enough to make repeat visits. A decade later, they’ll be there for opening night on Broadway.

    “They know that I would never be a part of the show that glorified the Marcoses,” Llana said. “Telling the history of the Philippines, sometimes it’s not easy… When history repeats itself is when you don’t talk about it and when you don’t remember the bad things that happened. And that’s really what our show is about.”

    In fact, after all these years, Llana’s confidence in the show has only grown.

    “There’s less fear of whether it’s going to work,” said Llana, who was Salonga’s love interest in “Flower Drum Song” over 20 years ago. “Now, it’s just about polishing it and really fine-tuning the story and really resting into the new elements, which are our Filipino producers, Clint Ramos and Jose Antonio Vargas.”

    Arielle Jacobs, known for lead Broadway roles in “Aladdin” and “In the Heights,” recently unearthed old emails from when she auditioned for the off-Broadway production.

    “The feedback my agent was told from the casting director was they loved my audition, it’s not going to work out right now but maybe potentially for future productions,” Jacobs said. “That’s so funny because at the time they didn’t even know when or if it might come to Broadway.”

    Being in the show has helped Jacobs not be as “naive about the history.” She has been doing research on her own to try and not make her Imelda one-dimensional. Born in San Francisco, Jacobs said her Filipino mother didn’t really talk about the Marcos’ era. But, nobody cried more happy tears than her mom when Jacobs landed this role.

    Her mother was “just so proud that I’m getting to tell the story and lead this company and play a Filipino and a Filipino story.” Since childhood, Jacobs and her brother, Adam (also a Broadway actor), always got so-called “ethnic” theater parts from Puerto Rican to Middle Eastern because of their half-white, half-Asian makeup.

    “It has been a blessing in terms of our career growth. At the same time, we’ve always felt that, because nobody knows we’re Filipino, there’s also this feeling that nobody ever really knows who we are,” Jacobs said.

    Working with Salonga has added to the joy for Jacobs and other cast members. Salonga is pretty much considered a first lady of pop culture in the Philippines and a Broadway icon. But in “Here Lies Love,” she is venturing into a whole new world of producer.

    Just entering the stage door where she was once the young ingenue and is now a boss has been “magic,” she said.

    “How is this happening? And how fortunate am I that I get to see all of this happening in real time,” said Salonga, also known for singing in Disney’s “Aladdin” and “Mulan” films. “Maybe I’ll get behind more shows and put my name behind something else that I really, really believe in, see where my career goes as a Broadway producer.”

    The show is adding to several Filipino American entertainment “firsts” that have made a splash in the past year. Koy starred in “Easter Sunday,” the first all-Filipino major studio movie. “Sesame Street” introduced TJ, the first Filipino Muppet. Several Filipino American chefs were recognized last month at the James Beard Awards. All of this happening now seems simultaneously “synergistic and serendipitous,” Salonga said. It’s heartening for a country that has been colonized by Spain, Japan and the U.S.

    “It’s like one thing is supporting this other thing and that thing is supporting the first thing, and it’s fantastic,” Salonga said. “It’s like the universe giving us permission to just be who we always knew we were.”

    ___

    Tang, who reported from Phoenix, is a member of The Associated Press’ Race and Ethnicity team. Follow her on Twitter at @ttangAP.

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  • Why Thailand’s legal weed is luring droves of curious but cautious Asian tourists

    Why Thailand’s legal weed is luring droves of curious but cautious Asian tourists

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    Bangkok — A Japanese tourist reaches into a baggie of cannabis he’s just bought in a central Bangkok weed shop, pulling out a gram of buds to chop down in a small black grinder, before rolling them neatly into a joint.

    Only the slight spillage onto the smoking lounge’s table — and his cough as he lights up and inhales deeply — betray the fact that until two weeks ago, he’d never tried marijuana.

    Most Asian nations have strict drug laws with harsh penalties, and Thailand’s de facto legalization of marijuana last year has brought a wave of tourists from the region like the visitor from Japan, intrigued by the lure of the forbidden leaf.

    “I was curious about how I would feel after smoking,” said the 42-year-old tourist who spoke on condition that his name not be used, for fear his experimentation in Bangkok could lead to legal issues at home.

    “I wonder why Japan bans it?” he pondered. “I wanted to try it.”

    Thailand Marijuana Tourism
    A marijuana bud is prepared for customers at a Dutch Passion shop in Bangkok, Thailand, June 27, 2023.

    Sakchai Lalit/AP


    Even as more countries around the world legalize marijuana, Thailand has been the outlier in Asia, where several countries still have the death penalty for some cannabis offenses. Singapore has already executed two people this year for trafficking marijuana and its Central Narcotics Bureau has announced plans to randomly test people returning from Thailand.

    Japan does not have the death penalty for drug offenses, but has warned that its laws on cannabis use may apply to its nationals even when they are abroad.

    China’s embassy in Thailand has warned that if Chinese tourists consume marijuana abroad and are “detected upon returning to China, it is considered equivalent to using drugs domestically. As a result, you will be subject to corresponding legal penalties.” It issues similar warnings for travel to other countries where marijuana is readily available, such as the United States, Canada and the Netherlands.

    On a recent flight from the Chinese city of Shanghai, passengers were cautioned not to “accidentally” try marijuana in Bangkok, with an announcement that in Thailand “some food and drink can include cannabis, so please pay attention to the leaf logo on the package of food.”

    Thailand Marijuana
    A staffer at the Highland Café selects portions of marijuana for a customer in Bangkok, Thailand, June 9, 2022.

    Sakchai Lalit/AP


    Neither Chinese nor Singaporean authorities would detail how frequently they test citizens returning from countries where marijuana has been decriminalized, responding to queries from the AP simply by reiterating their previously announced policies.

    It’s no wonder that weed dispensaries in Bangkok say that customers from Singapore and China are among the most cautious, asking questions about how long traces of the drug remain in the system and whether there are detox products.

    But many remain undeterred, and Thailand’s cannabis industry has grown at lightning speed, with weed dispensaries now almost as common as the ubiquitous convenience stores in some parts of the capital. Through February, nearly 6,000 licenses for cannabis-related businesses have been approved, including more than 1,600 in Bangkok alone, according to official figures.

    There are no government figures on how many tourists come specifically to smoke marijuana, but Kueakarun Thongwilai, the manager of a weed shop in central Bangkok, estimates at least 70%-80% of his customers are foreigners, primarily from Asian countries like Japan, Malaysia, China and Philippines, and some from Europe.

    Most cannabis shops, including his, now only hire employees who speak English, the lingua franca of the industry.

    “You don’t need to speak perfect English, but you need to communicate with foreigners,” Thongwilai said.

    About half of his customers are first-time weed users and most of them are Asians, he said.

    Some want to try edible cannabis products, but Thongwilai said he tries to steer them toward smoking.

    “Edibles take more time to take effect, and during that time people may eat more and more, leading to an excessive experience for beginners,” he said.

    Not all are new to the drug, said Thongwilai, remembering a Malaysian customer who snuck away from a meal with his wife and daughter at a nearby restaurant. The man said he smoked marijuana secretly at home, but had heard the Thai product was better quality and wanted to try it.

    “He bought the cheapest weed in our shop and tried it in a mall, and then he came back and bought more,” Thongwilai recalled.

    Not far from Thongwilai’s shop at Dutch Passion, a newly opened retail branch of a Netherlands seed distributor that has been in business for more than three decades, about half the customers are also first-time users, said Theo Geene, a Dutch shareholder in the business.

    Cannabis has been available in coffee shops in the Netherlands since the 1970s, and Geene said he has used his experience to train his staff how to serve those unfamiliar with the drug.

    “For beginners, it’s not good to use a bong,” he said. “It’s too much for them. We don’t want anyone to pass out here.”

    Most customers refused to talk about their experiences, with the Japanese tourist in Geene’s shop the only one who agreed to — and only on the condition his name not be used.

    Most of the shop’s Asian customers are similarly discreet, choosing to smoke their purchases inside rather than on the streets like many Westerners do, which is common but a violation of Thai regulations, Geene said.

    “They are more cautious and afraid,” he said. “They don’t want to be seen when they smoke weed.”

    Before he embarked on his trip to Thailand, the 42-year-old Japanese tourist said he researched extensively online and determined that while customs might randomly check bags and luggage for marijuana being smuggled into Japan, there was no testing going on in line with government policy.

    Since his first puff two weeks ago, he said he’s been smoking every day, visiting different shops, comparing prices and trying different strains.

    Dispensary staffers taught him how to grind buds and roll a joint and he’s been having fun perfecting the technique.

    “I practice it every day,” he said, looking down at the joint he was rolling and repeating the word “practice” twice before bursting into laughter.

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  • 16 abused children freed in Philippines after man’s arrest in Sydney | CNN

    16 abused children freed in Philippines after man’s arrest in Sydney | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Sixteen children allegedly abused in the Philippines have been rescued after Australian police found sexually explicit material on the phone of a man arrested in Sydney.

    The children were found last month when the Philippine National Police (PNP) executed multiple warrants at four locations in the Metro Manila area and a province in Northern Philippines, according to a joint statement released Wednesday by Australian Federal Police.

    The investigation began in January when the Australian Border Force intercepted a Queensland man, 56, as he returned to Sydney from the Philippines, the statement said.

    After searching his phone, the ABF found child abuse material and messages detailing his intent to pay a facilitator who would enable him to sexually abuse children in the Philippines.

    The man was charged with three offenses including grooming and possession of child abuse material, which carry a potential maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

    However, the suspect failed to attend a scheduled court appearance on May 30 and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

    “This case highlights how vital it is for law enforcement agencies to share intelligence and resources globally, because predators are not confined by borders,” said the AFP’s senior officer in Manila, Detective Superintendent Andrew Perkins.

    “However, these children’s lives have been irrecoverably damaged and we know there are too many other children still at risk,” he added.

    The children have been placed into the care of the Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development and investigators are still trying to find other suspected victims.

    Police Colonel Portia Manalad, chief of the Philippine National Police Women and Children Protection Center, said the PNP could not tackle this crime alone.

    “We must collaborate with our international partners, such as the AFP, to arrest offenders and rescue child victims,” she said.

    As of June 29, 611 victims have been rescued from child abuse and 127 facilitators arrested since the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Center (PICACC), a joint effort between the Philippines, Australia, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, was established in 2019.

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  • Vietnam bans ‘Barbie’ movie due to an illustration showing China’s territorial claim

    Vietnam bans ‘Barbie’ movie due to an illustration showing China’s territorial claim

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    HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam’s state media have reported that the government banned distribution of the popular “Barbie” movie because it includes a view of a map showing disputed Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea.

    The newspaper Vietnam Express and other media said posters advertising “Barbie” were removed from movie distributors’ websites after Monday’s decision. With Margot Robbie playing Barbie opposite Ryan Gosling’s Ken in Greta Gerwig’s comedic look at their “perfect” world, “Barbie” was supposed to open July 21 in Vietnamese theaters.

    The reports cited Vi Kien Thanh, director general of the Vietnam Cinema Department, as saying the National Film Evaluation Council made the decision. It said a map in the film shows China’s “nine-dash line,” which extends Beijing’s territorial claims far into waters that fall within areas claimed by Vietnam and other countries.

    A Vietjet plane carrying 214 people has made an unscheduled but safe landing in the northern Philippines after encountering an unspecified technical problem.

    In this photo provided by U.S. Navy, the United States and Vietnam national ensigns are raised in unison on the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) in Da Nang, Vietnam, for a port visit, Sunday, June 25, 2023. The American aircraft carrier made a port call in Vietnam on Sunday — a rare visit by one of the U.S. Navy’s biggest ships that comes as Washington and Beijing both step up efforts to bolster ties with Southeast Asian nations.(Mass Communication 3rd Class Eric Stanton/U.S. Navy via AP)

    A U.S. aircraft carrier and two guided missile cruisers are visiting Vietnam in a rare port call that comes as the United States and China increasingly vie for influence in Southeast Asia.

    FILE - The U.S. carrier USS Ronald Reagan is escorted as it arrives in Busan, South Korea on Sept. 23, 2022. The American aircraft carrier was due to make a port call in Vietnam on Sunday, June 25, 2023, a rare visit by one of the U.S. Navy's biggest ships that comes as Washington and Beijing both are stepping up efforts to bolster ties with Southeast Asian nations. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)

    An American aircraft carrier is due to make a port call in Vietnam on Sunday. The rare visit by one of the U.S.

    FILE - Daniel Ellsberg speaks during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, Dec. 16, 2010. Ellsberg, the government analyst and whistleblower who leaked the “Pentagon Papers” in 1971, has died. He was 92. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

    Daniel Ellsberg, the government analyst and whistleblower who leaked the Pentagon Papers in 1971, has died at 92.

    The “nine-dash line” is an arcane but sensitive issue for China and its neighbors that shows Beijing’s maritime border extending into areas claimed by other governments and encompasses most of the South China Sea. That has brought it into tense standoffs with the ASEAN nations of Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines, with Chinese fishing boats and military vessels becoming more aggressive in the disputed waters.

    Asked about the issue at a daily briefing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, “China’s position on the South China Sea issue is clear and consistent.”

    “We believe that the countries concerned should not link the South China Sea issue with normal cultural and people-to-people exchanges,” Mao said.

    However, China is exceedingly sensitive when it comes to how its national image and border claims are portrayed in entertainment and by businesses. For example, it has routinely retaliated against companies from hotels to airlines that it believes have suggested that self-governing Taiwan – with its own political system, country code and currency — is anything other than a part of China.

    Companies almost always acquiesce to Chinese complaints, fearing they risk being locked out of the huge, lucrative Chinese market. That includes Hollywood films deleting or adding scenes based on the expected response on the ruling Communist Party and the highly nationalistic public.

    When an international court ruled in 2016 that the “nine-dash line” has no basis in law and the Philippines was entitled to an exclusive economic zone in part of the area claimed by Beijing, China rejected the ruling.

    Warner Bros. offices were closed Tuesday for the July 4 holiday.

    In 2019, Vietnam ordered showings of “Abominable” canceled after moviegoers complained about a scene showing the “nine-dash line.” Politicians in the Philippines called for a boycott of all DreamWorks releases to protest the scene, and Malaysia ordered the scene to be cut from the movie.

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  • Dyson doubles down on Singapore and ramps up hiring globally

    Dyson doubles down on Singapore and ramps up hiring globally

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    Dyson is known for its consumer gadgets such as vacuum cleaners, hair styling products and air purifiers, but it is now breaking into a new generation of products.

    Recently launched devices like its 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum boast “intelligent” features, which require more software development — and the company has ramped up hiring in order to support those functions.

    “We’ve really seen a ten-fold increase in our engineers working in software over the last years,” Dyson’s Chief Technology Officer John Churchill said. “We’re hunting for the greatest talent, from graduates of colleges to experienced people, to join us to pivot Dyson into more of a software world.”

    The company is trying to hire another 2,000 engineers globally, according to Dyson’s director of upstream robotics, Kashyap Chandrasekar.

    “Robotics and software are the largest pools of people we’re trying to hire,” he said.

    The Dyson 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum is displayed at the company’s headquarters at St. James Power Station in Singapore in May 2023.

    Lauren Choo | CNBC

    Another Dyson device that has garnered attention, due to its futuristic look, is the Dyson Zone — headphones that double as a wearable purifier.

    While the Zone has been criticized for its $999.99 price tag and bulky appearance, Churchill remained optimistic.

    “With new products, we have a high selling price because there’s so much investment in terms of that technology,” he told CNBC in an interview.

    “The first generation of products is really the stepping stone, in terms of the journey, and the products are going to continue to evolve.”

    When asked about public health and access, Churchill said “We’ll continue to look into how we can bring the cost down to make it available to more people.”

    Dyson’s global investment plan

    Since its inception in 1991, founder Sir James Dyson has been set on pioneering new technology. Dyson started in the United Kingdom, before launching into Australian, European, American and Asian markets.

    While Dyson faced headwinds like rising costs and chip shortages like many other consumer technology companies, the privately owned company reported £6.5 billion ($8.15 billion) in revenue for 2022, up from £6 billion the year before.

    The company currently has a £2.75 billion investment plan divided across Singapore, the U.K. and the Philippines. The company already has research and development focused campuses in U.K., Malaysia and Shanghai — and is now investing £166 million in a new tech campus in Batangas, Philippines.

    Dyson’s Singapore Headquarters at the St. James Power Station.

    Lauren Choo | CNBC

    A key part of Dyson’s global investment scheme is the 247,000-square-feet battery plant in Singapore. The company has estimated it will be up and running by 2025.

    “Our new battery factory allows Dyson to have a much longer-term view because they’re supported by a very clear strategy from the government to allow us to make big investments, with the confidence that they’re going to be supported,” Churchill explained.

    Singapore in focus

    Dyson’s decision to build their battery plant in Singapore comes after the company relocated its global headquarters to the city-state from the U.K. The company was criticized for that 2019 decision, partly due to founder Sir James Dyson’s vocal support for Brexit.

    Out of 14,000 employees globally, 1,400 are based in Singapore, including 600 engineers.

    “If we’re going to have a manufacturing footprint in this part of the world, you need engineers to be closely located,” Chandrasekar said. “It does help that there’s a fair amount of government push as well in the field of robotics. There’s plenty of initiatives. There’s a lot of capable research groups. All this lends itself well to build a talent pool that can support this.”

    Churchill added that Dyson sees itself as a global technology brand, rather than a purely British one.

    “We want to really understand some of those cultures and diversities that will inspire us to create new ideas, to solve problems that are relevant to people in different countries.”

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  • Philippine ferry with 120 people on board catches fire at sea

    Philippine ferry with 120 people on board catches fire at sea

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    Rescue under way after M/V Esperanza Star catches fires while travelling from Siquijor province to Bohol province.

    A ferry carrying 120 passengers and crew members has caught fire at sea in the Philippines, and a coastguard vessel has been deployed to rescue those on board and extinguish the flames, according to officials.

    The M/V Esperanza Star caught fire at dawn on Sunday while travelling from Siquijor province to Bohol province in the central Philippines, the coastguard said.

    It did not immediately say how many people had been rescued from the ferry or if there were casualties.

    Photos and video released by the coastguard show flames and black smoke billowing from two decks at one end of the ferry as coastguard personnel on board another vessel used water cannon trying to put out the fire.

    A fishing boat and another vessel could be seen nearby.

    None of the 65 passengers and 55 crew members could be seen on board the burning ferry based on the photographs and video released by the coastguard.

    Sea accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago because of frequent storms, badly maintained vessels, overcrowding and spotty enforcement of safety regulations, especially in remote provinces.

    In March, a fire raged overnight on a ferry carrying about 250 people off the southern island province of Basilan. At least 31 passengers and crew members had been killed, the coastguard said.

    In December 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker, killing more than 4,300 people in the world’s worst peacetime maritime disaster.

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  • Philippines’ Mayon Volcano spews lava as locals prepare to evacuate in case of explosion

    Philippines’ Mayon Volcano spews lava as locals prepare to evacuate in case of explosion

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    The Philippines’ most active volcano was gently spewing lava down its slopes Monday, alerting tens of thousands of people they may have to quickly flee a violent and life-threatening explosion.

    More than 12,600 people have left the mostly poor farming communities within a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) radius of Mayon Volcano’s crater in mandatory evacuations since volcanic activity increased last week. But thousands more 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.

    “What we are seeing now is an effusive eruption,” Bacolcol told The Associated Press. “We are looking at this on a day-to-day basis.”

    From a distance, Associated Press journalists watched lava flow down the volcano’s southeastern gullies for hours Sunday night. People hurriedly stepped out of restaurants and bars in a seaside district of Legazpi, the capital of northeastern Albay province about 14 kilometers (8.5 miles) from Mayon, many of them snapping pictures of the volcano that’s a popular tourist draw known for its picturesque conical shape.

    PHILIPPINES-VOLCANO
    Mount Mayon spews lava during an eruption near Legazpi city in Albay province, south of Manila on June 11, 2023.

    CHARISM SAYAT/AFP via Getty Images


    Albay was placed under a state of emergency Friday to allow for quicker distribution of any disaster relief funds in the event of a major eruption.

    The volcano had been raised to alert level three on a five-step system Thursday, warning that the volcano was in a state of high unrest and a hazardous eruption is possible in weeks or days.

    With lava flowing down from the volcano gently, Bacolcol said the alert level would stay at three but it could be moved up higher if the eruption turns perilous.

    The highest alert, level five, would mean a violent and life-threatening eruption is underway with ash plumes shooting into the sky and superheated pyroclastic streams endangering more communities at Mayon’s lush foothills.

    Mayon is one of 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines. It last erupted violently in 2018, displacing tens of thousands of villagers. In 1814, Mayon’s eruption buried entire villages and reportedly left more than 1,000 people dead.

    Many of Albay’s people, however, have accepted the volcano’s sporadic fury as part of their lives.

    On Sunday morning, throngs of people jogged, biked and walked their dogs in a seaside promenade in Legazpi. The 2,462-meter (8,077-foot) volcano lay hidden in thick clouds at a distance.

    Some locals have grown wealthy from the tourism industry that has sprung from Mayon or the gravel, sand and ornamental rocks and boulders found around the volcano in abundance.

    Inside the permanent danger zone, authorities and villagers on Sunday were moving cows and water buffaloes from the high-risk farms to temporary grazing areas a safe distance away.

    “It’s not only people that should be brought to safety but their farm animals, too,” Albay provincial veterinarian Manny Victorino told AP. He said authorities were taking steps to avoid a deeper economic impact should the volcano erupt.

    They gave deworming medicine and vitamins and punched identifying tags onto the ears of several cows and buffaloes for better monitoring.

    The cattle evacuations underscore how wide the potential threats are from natural disasters in the Philippines.

    The archipelago is lashed by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms a year and is located on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire,” the rim of seismic faults where most of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.

    In 1991, Mount Pinatubo north of Manila blew its top in one of the biggest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century, killing hundreds.

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  • Unbelievable facts

    Unbelievable facts

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  • Inferno tears through Manila’s historic Central Post Office | CNN

    Inferno tears through Manila’s historic Central Post Office | CNN

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    Hong Kong
    CNN
     — 

    A massive fire broke out at the historic Manila Central Post Office in the Philippine capital late Sunday, with teams of fire fighters battling for more than seven hours through the night before it was finally brought under control.

    The fire started around 11:45 p.m. local time and the situation was raised to the highest fire alarm level just before 6 a.m on Monday morning, according to the Bureau of Fire Protection.

    The blaze was brought under control around 7 a.m., leaving behind a charred roof and upper levels of the structure.

    Pictures and footage showed flames and thick smoke billowing from the windows of the neoclassical building, known for its grand entry lined with ornate columns.

    The building sits within the historic old Manila town near other tourist landmarks along the Pasig River that flows through the capital.

    The post office was first built in 1926 and designed by Filipino architects Juan M. Arellano and Tomás Mapúa. It was severely damaged during World War II but rebuilt in 1946, preserving most of its original edifice.

    It was declared an “important cultural property” in 2018, meaning the country’s oldest post office was of “exceptional cultural, artistic, and historical significance to the Philippines,” according to CNN affiliate CNN Philippines.

    The building currently houses the Philippine Postal Corporation, the government-run postal service that handles everything from regular mail, parcels and special stamp collections.

    Mark Laurente, chief of staff of the postmaster general, said that national identification cards were spared from the fire as those were stored in another city, CNN Philippines reported Monday morning.

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  • Dozens missing after Chinese fishing boat sinks in Indian Ocean

    Dozens missing after Chinese fishing boat sinks in Indian Ocean

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    The incident took place in the early hours of the morning and rescue efforts are under way.

    A Chinese fishing boat has sunk in the Indian Ocean with all 39 of its Chinese and international crew missing, according to state media.

    Broadcaster CCTV said the incident happened in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The crew includes 17 people from China, 17 from Indonesia and five from the Philippines, the report said.

    President Xi Jinping ordered a coordinated search, CCTV said, but “so far, no missing persons have been found”.

    China has deployed two commercial vessels to help in the regional search-and-rescue operation.

    “It is necessary to further strengthen the safety management of fishing vessels at sea and implement preventive measures to ensure the safety of maritime transportation,” Premier Li Qiang was quoted as saying.

    The Chinese reports did not identify the exact location of the sinking, revealing only that it took place in the centre of the Indian Ocean that stretches from South Asia and the Arabian Peninsula to East Africa and western Australia.

    The Philippine Coast Guard said on Wednesday it was monitoring the situation and coordinating with the Chinese Embassy in Manila as well as with search-and-rescue teams operating near the vessel’s last-known location.

    The Lupenglaiyuanyu No 8 boat was based in the eastern coastal province of Shandong and operated by Penglai Jinglu Fishery Co, one of China’s major state-run fishing companies.

    It was authorised to fish for neon flying squid and Pacific saury, according to data from the North Pacific Fishing Commission.

    The boat left Cape Town, South Africa on May 5, and was heading towards Busan, South Korea, according to the MarineTraffic tracking website, which last located the vessel on May 10 to the southeast of Reunion, a tiny French island in the Indian Ocean.

    China is believed to operate the world’s largest deep-sea fishing fleet. Many of its ships stay at sea for months or even years at a time, supported by Chinese state maritime security agencies and a sprawling network of support vessels.

    The Philippines, meanwhile, supplies about a quarter of the world’s 1.2 million seafarers.

    There was no explanation for the cause of the sinking, although weather and high seas often play a role in such tragedies.

    Chinese squid fishing ships have been documented using wide nets to illegally catch already overfished tuna as part of a surge in unregulated fishing activity in the Indian Ocean, according to a report released in 2021 by a Norway-based watchdog group. The report highlighted growing concerns about the lack of international cooperation to protect marine species on the high seas.

    The group, called Trygg Mat Tracking, found that the number of squid vessels in the high seas of the Indian Ocean – where fishing of the species is not regulated – has increased six-fold since 2016.

    The United States Coast Guard was involved in a dangerous confrontation with Chinese vessels not far from Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands in 2022 during a mission to inspect the vessels for any signs of illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing.

    Chinese fishing fleets sometimes go “dark” – turning off their tracking systems to prevent the monitoring of their activities.

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  • Wellness travel is rising among a particularly weary group of travelers — parents

    Wellness travel is rising among a particularly weary group of travelers — parents

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    Amusement parks and road trips — this is this stuff many family vacations are made of.  

    But a new survey shows parents increasingly want in on a trend that isn’t often aimed at families: wellness travel.

    A report published Thursday by the market intelligence company Morning Consult showed that parents, compared with others, showed less interest in traveling to relax or for cultural experiences, and more interest in traveling for mental and physical health.  

    The data showed an emerging picture of family travel — one in which parents may be starting to prioritize their own needs alongside those of their children.   

    Traveling to improve physical health

    American Kristen Graff took a diving trip with her family to Fiji in 2022.

    “It was something we could all do that was active,” she said.

    But “we were doing it for us,” she said, referring to herself and her husband. The kids just happened to be invited too, she said with a laugh.

    Purpose of leisure travel for trips planned in next year.

    Source: Morning Consult

    She said the family reserved one day for kid-centric activities, like all-terrain vehicle riding, but spent most of their time in the water. Graff said she and her husband are avid divers, and, as it turned out, her sons ended up loving it too.

    Compared with nonparents, parents were nearly twice as likely to have plans to travel to improve their physical health, according to Morning Consult’s survey of some 2,200 American adults.

    And the trend appears to be growing. Traveling for physical health is up eight points among parents since last year, said Lindsey Roeschke, travel and hospitality analyst at Morning Consult.

    “One bit of data I find particularly interesting is, when looking at the various goals for traveling, we asked parents who benefits from those goals — the parent themself, the kids, someone else, or everyone on the trip — and the idea of traveling to improve physical health is the one most likely to benefit the parent alone,” she said.

    And “mental health is a close second,” she said.

    One in five adult respondents said they are planning to travel to improve their mental health, but among parents the rate rose to nearly one in three — perhaps reflecting the lack of time parents have in their daily lives to focus on their own well-being, according to the report.  

    “The idea of traveling for mental or physical wellness is attractive to them because they themselves feel the benefit of it, rather than putting someone else’s needs before their own — which parents have to do all the time,” Roeschke said.

    Traveling to relax

    Compared with nonparents, parents indicated less interest in traveling to relax or “get away,” according to the survey.

    However, that’s likely because parents accept the realities of traveling with kids — especially young ones. Parents of children under the age of five are the least likely to say they travel to escape or get away, according to another Morning Consult report on family travel published in November.

    Simply put, it’s harder for parents to relax when traveling,

    Lindsey Roeschke

    travel and hospitality analyst at Morning Consult

    Parents of young kids are also the most likely to be deterred from traveling, because of costs or the added stress of lugging around car seats and strollers, according to the report.

    “Simply put, it’s harder for parents to relax when traveling,” said Roeschke. “I’ve often heard it said that traveling with a child is just parenting in a new location, and it can actually be more difficult than parenting at home due to schedule changes, lack of comforts of home — like toys, games, cribs, highchairs — and upended routines.” 

    Parents also showed less enthusiasm to travel to spend time with family and friends, the May report showed.

    “Parents are doing that often at home, so they’re less likely to think of it as the purpose of their trip,” she said.

    Planning a wellness family vacation

    Though some wellness resorts only allow adults, places like The Farm at San Benito welcome guests of all ages.

    The resort — located 90 minutes south of Manila, Philippines — has children’s meditation and fitness classes alongside animal-feeding and vegetable-picking activities, according to its website.

    In February, Napa Valley’s Carneros Resort and Spa debuted a spring “Little Seedlings” program for children that includes garden tours and chicken feeding. Kids can also take yoga classes, embark on scavenger hunts and sleep outside in a tent — fireside smores included.

    “Napa doesn’t just have to be an adults-only experience,” said managing director Edward Costa. “The Little Seedlings program was designed to inspire our youngest guests … while allowing the adults to fully embrace the charm and amenities of our luxury resort.”

    Guests must be at least 17 years old to visit the BodyHoliday Saint Lucia, but the all-inclusive resort makes an exception on major holidays and during fitness-themed weeks in the summer. From July 3 to Aug. 25, the family-based fitness weeks combine yoga, sailing, healthy cooking and “beach boot camps” hosted by visiting Olympians.

    Planning your own wellness trip

    Rather than a resort stay, parents can plan their own wellness trips based on their interests.

    One activity that suits many families is the safari, said Mike Harlow, the general manager of the travel agency Scott Dunn Asia.

    “We are able to customize safari holidays for families with little ones to see the Big Five in South Africa,” he said.

    Places like Madikwe Safari Lodge are ideal for families, he said, because they combine shorter game drives with bush and bug activities and animal tracking to ensure kids never get bored.  

    Madikwe Safari Lodge accepts children aged seven and older, and drives don’t go as close to dangerous game, according to its website.

    Hoberman Collection | Universal Images Group | Getty Images

    In the winter, Harlow recommends Sweden for sleigh rides, watching the Northern Lights and a stay at the Ice Hotel — which has beds and chandeliers made of ice — while families keen on history can cruise the Nile in Egypt.

    Parents can also swap the traditional family vacation for a couples or even solo trip — or by booking a trip that includes just part of the family.  

    “Globally, we’ve noticed a growing trend of one parent taking one child away for a bonding holiday,” said Harlow. “Mother and daughter trips, in particular, are on the rise.”

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  • The Philippines will briefly shut its airspace later this month in a bid to tackle recent airport outages | CNN

    The Philippines will briefly shut its airspace later this month in a bid to tackle recent airport outages | CNN

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    Editor’s Note: Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel’s weekly newsletter. Get news about destinations opening, inspiration for future adventures, plus the latest in aviation, food and drink, where to stay and other travel developments.


    Hong Kong
    CNN
     — 

    “It’s more fun in the Philippines” is the tourism tagline that draws travelers from around the globe to explore the country’s pristine beaches and lush mountains.

    But getting there is not always a smooth journey, as anyone unfortunate enough to be at Manila’s airport during two crippling power outages this year discovered.

    Those outages, on Labor Day and New Year’s Day, caused widespread chaos with hundreds of flight cancellations affecting tens of thousands of passengers.

    In a bid to solve that issue, the Philippines will close the whole country’s airspace for 6 hours on May 17 to replace malfunctioning electrical equipment.

    “It’s the entire Philippine airspace that will be shut down,” Bryan Co, senior assistant general manager at the Manila International Airport Authority, said in a press briefing on Tuesday.

    The work will replace the uninterruptible power supply for the air traffic management center and the airspace closure will take place between 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. local time, usually a period of lower air traffic, Co added.

    Co called on airlines to prepare for its airspace going dark by re-arranging their flight schedules and advising passengers on alternative arrangements early on.

    Built 75 years ago, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) in Manila – the country’s main international gateway – has been struggling to cope with soaring passenger traffic since flights resumed after pandemic restrictions were lifted.

    On May 1, the airport’s Terminal 3 suffered an almost nine-hour outage that led to the cancellation of 48 Cebu Pacific’s domestic flights on the Labor Day long weekend holiday.

    Crowds of unhappy passengers lining up at Cebu Pacific’s counter heckled staff over a lack of clarity on flight arrangements, according to videos from CNN affiliate CNN Philippines.

    A full electrical analysis is being conducted in the aftermath of the incident and an audit may take up to 90 days to assess which updates need to be prioritized, the airport authority said.

    Just days before the chaos, a newly-formed Manila International Airport Consortium (MIAC) had made proposals to the national government outlining a series of upgrades at the country’s largest airport, aiming to double annual passenger capacity to 62.5 million by 2028, the group of six conglomerates said in a statement on Thursday.

    The airport handled 48 million passengers in 2019, despite being designed to handle 31.5 million, it said, and the revamp is expected to cost $1.8 billion (100 billion Philippine pesos).

    Upgrades had long been overdue especially after tens of thousands of travelers were stranded in the Southeast Asian hub after severe power interruptions impacted air traffic control at the country’s largest airport on New Year’s Day this year. Nearly 300 flights were either delayed, canceled or diverted to other regional airports and at least 56,000 passengers were affected.

    The Philippine government launched an official investigation into what led to a severe outage on New Year’s Day, which took place during the busy year end travel season that sees large numbers of foreign tourists as well as overseas citizens flying into the country from abroad to mark Christmas and New Year.

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  • Biden: US-Philippines ‘ironclad’ partners amid China tension

    Biden: US-Philippines ‘ironclad’ partners amid China tension

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    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden reiterated U.S. commitment to the Philippines’ security and noted the “deep friendship” of the two nations as he hosted Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for White House talks Monday as concerns grow about the Chinese navy’s harassment of Philippine vessels in the South China Sea.

    Marcos’ visit to Washington comes after the U.S. and the Philippines last week completed their largest war drills ever and as the two countries’ air forces on Monday will hold their first joint fighter jet training in the Philippines since 1990. The Philippines this year agreed to give the U.S. access to four more bases on the islands as the U.S. looks to deter China’s increasingly aggressive actions toward Taiwan and in the disputed South China Sea.

    Meanwhile, China has angered the Philippines by repeatedly harassing its navy and coast guard patrols and chasing away fishermen in waters that are close to Philippine shores but that Beijing claims as its own.

    But as Biden sat down with Marcos, the U.S. president went out of his way to note the progress in the U.S.-Philippine relationship—one that has had ups and downs over the years and was in a difficult place when Marcos took office less than a year ago.

    “We are facing new challenges and I couldn’t think of a better partner to have than you.” Biden told Marcos at the start of their Oval Office meeting. “The United States also remains ironclad in our commitment to the defense of the Philippines, including in the South China Sea, and we will continue to support the Philippines military modernization.”

    Marcos said the relationship was essential as Philippines and the Pacific finds itself in “possibly the most complicated geopolitical situation in the world right now.”

    Monday’s Oval Office meeting is the latest high-level diplomacy with Pacific leaders by Biden as his administration contends with increased military and economic assertiveness by China and worries about North Korea’s nuclear program. Marcos’ official visit to Washington is the first by a Philippine president in more than 10 years.

    The U.S. president last week hosted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for a state visit during which the two leaders introduced new steps aimed at deterring North Korea from launching an attack on its neighbors. Biden is scheduled to travel to Japan and Australia in May.

    Following the meeting, the White House announced the transfer of three C-130 aircraft and two coastal patrol vessels to the Philippines. The two countries also said they adopted defense guidelines aimed at deepening cooperation and interoperability between the two nations’ militaries across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace.

    The administration also said it is launching a new trade mission focused on increasing American investment in the Philippines’ innovation economy, new educational programing and more.

    Increased Chinese harassment of vessels in the South China Sea has added another dimension to the visit. On April 23, journalists from The Associated Press and other outlets were aboard the Philippine coast guard’s BRP Malapascua near Second Thomas Shoal when a Chinese coast guard ship blocked the Philippine patrol vessel steaming into the disputed shoal. The Philippines has filed more than 200 diplomatic protests against China since last year, at least 77 since Marcos took office in June.

    State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Saturday called media reporting on the encounters a “stark reminder” of Chinese “harassment and intimidation of Philippine vessels as they undertake routine patrols within their exclusive economic zone.”

    “We call upon Beijing to desist from its provocative and unsafe conduct,” Miller said.

    U.S. and Taiwanese officials have also been unnerved by recent critical comments by China’s ambassador to the Philippines, Huang Xilian, over the Philippines granting the U.S. military increased access to bases.

    Huang at an April forum reportedly said the Philippines should oppose Taiwan’s independence “if you care genuinely about the 150,000 OFWs” in Taiwan, using the acronym for overseas Filipino workers.

    China claims the self-ruled island as its own. The Philippines, like the U.S., has a “One China” policy that recognizes Beijing as the government of China but allows informal relations with Taiwan. Marcos has not explicitly said that his country would assist the United States in any armed contingency in Taiwan.

    The officials described Huang’s comments as one of many recent provocative actions by the Chinese to put pressure on the Philippines.

    One official said that Marcos still desires to work closely with both Washington and Beijing but that he “finds himself in a situation” in which “the steps that China is taking are deeply concerning.”

    Close U.S.-Philippines relations were not a given when Marcos took office. The son and namesake of the late Philippines strongman had seemed intent on following the path of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, who pursued closer ties with China.

    Before Marcos took office last year, Kurt Campbell, coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs on the White House National Security Council, acknowledged that “historical considerations” could present “challenges” to the relationship with Marcos Jr. It was an oblique reference to long-standing litigation in the United States against the estate of his father, Ferdinand Marcos.

    A U.S. appeals court in 1996 upheld damages of about $2 billion against the elder Marcos’ estate for the torture and killings of thousands of Filipinos. The court upheld a 1994 verdict of a jury in Hawaii, where he fled after being forced from power in 1986. He died there in 1989.

    Marcos noted that he last visited the White House when his father was in power.

    Biden and Marcos met in September during the U.N. General Assembly, where the U.S. president acknowledged the two countries’ sometimes “rocky” past.

    During their private meeting at the UN, Biden, a Democrat, stressed to Marcos his desire to improve relations and asked Marcos how the administration could “fulfill your dreams and hopes” to do that, a senior administration official told the Associated Press.

    Marcos is also slated to visit the Pentagon, meet Cabinet members and business leaders and make remarks at a Washington think tank during his visit.

    ___

    Gomez reported from Manila. AP writer Darlene Superville contributed reporting.

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  • As US and Philippine defense ties grow, China warns over Taiwan tensions | CNN

    As US and Philippine defense ties grow, China warns over Taiwan tensions | CNN

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    Hong Kong
    CNN
     — 

    Sandwiched between two Pacific superpowers, the Philippines has long had to tread delicately when it comes to dealing with Beijing and Washington’s competing interests, a complex juggling act that has been on vivid display in recent weeks.

    April has been a particularly busy month for Philippine diplomacy with the country hosting its largest joint military drills yet with the United States while also receiving a top envoy from China, which has grown increasingly rattled – and outspoken – about the archipelago’s defense ties.

    Only a few years ago US-Philippine relations were in a delicate place.

    The country’s then leader, Rodrigo Duterte, routinely launched obscenity laden rants against US counterpart Barack Obama while downplaying longstanding territorial disputes with Beijing and seeking to attract investment from its giant neighbor to the north.

    But the election of his successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, last year has returned relations to a more even keel, in part because Manila has become wary of a more assertive China.

    Marcos Jr, who has been on a charm offensive to mend ties with Manila’s historical ally, is set to fly to the United States to meet with President Joe Biden in Washington next week.

    He visit caps a month of frenetic exchanges with the United States.

    More than 12,000 American troops joined some 5,000 soldiers from the Philippines over the last three weeks to take part in the largest “Balikatan” joint military exercises to date, an event Beijing’s state-run media has labeled an “attempt to target China.”

    The climax of the war games came Wednesday when US and Philippine forces fired on a mock enemy warship in the West Philippine Sea, the part of the South China Sea that encompasses the Philippines Exclusive Economic Zone.

    Just as those drills kicked off, the US also hosted two top diplomats from the Philippines, for talks during which both sides agreed to complete a roadmap for the US to provide security assistance to its regional ally the next five to 10 years, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a “2+2 meeting” in Washington.

    Last year the US granted $100 million to boost the Southeast Asian country’s defense capabilities and military modernization. It also plans to allocate $100 million for the improvement of military bases to which the US has access under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

    In February, the Philippines granted new rights to the US military to add four bases to the five originally covered under the EDCA. The new facilities include three on the main island of Luzon, close to Taiwan, and one in Palawan province in the South China Sea (SCS).

    That appears to have alarmed China.

    Earlier this month Beijing’s ambassador in Manila, Huang Xilian, accused the Philippines of “stoking the fire” of regional tensions by offering expanded military base access to the US, saying that the goal was to interfere in China’s affairs with Taiwan.

    China’s ruling Communist Party has never controlled Taiwan but claims the self-ruled island democracy as its own and has repeatedly refused to rule out taking it by force, a threat which Manila perceives as reason to ramp up its guard with help from Washington.

    Huang also appeared to threaten overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Taiwan, which prompted a backlash in the Philippines.

    “The Philippines is advised to unequivocally oppose ‘Taiwan independence’ rather than stoking the fire by offering the US access to the military bases near the Taiwan Strait, if you care genuinely about the 150,000 OFWs,” Huang said.

    National Security Council spokesperson Jonathan Malaya responded to the Chinese ambassador’s remarks by saying that “the Philippines has no intention of interfering in the Taiwan issue,” and added that the EDCA sites were “not meant for offensive operations against China or for interference in the Taiwan issue.”

    With tensions high over the Beijing ambassador’s comments, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang arrived last Friday for a three-day visit to Manila, where he met with Marcos Jr and Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo.

    The readouts suggested both sides were keen to calm the waters with Marcos Jr announcing “more lines of communications” to resolve conflicts between the two countries over the West Philippine Sea and Manalo also pledging to “overcome difficulties and interference.”

    Qin said Beijing hoped the Philippine side would “properly handle Taiwan-related and maritime issues in line with the overall interests of regional peace and stability.”

    Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang during a meeting in Manila on April 22, 2023.

    Analysts say the positioning of the Philippines makes the archipelago vital for anyone wanting to project power across the Pacific.

    “The Philippines is crucial in safeguarding the national security interests of both China, as well as the security or strategic interests of the United States in the Pacific,” said Aries Arugay, a visiting fellow at Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.

    “And this is why both superpowers are very sensitive every time the Philippines is being perceived as leaning more towards one or the other,” he added.

    What the last month has shown, added Anna Malindog-Uy, vice president of the Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute (ACPSSI), is that Filipinos “do not want to be compromised for the geopolitical interests and agenda of the United States in the region.”

    Manila may be thousands of miles away from Washington, but their defense alliance dates back to the end of World War II, as America sought to protect its interests in the Pacific.

    The Philippines was a former US territory and used to be home to two of the US military’s largest overseas installations, Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval Base, which were transferred to Philippine control in the 1990s.

    A mutual defense treaty signed in 1951 remains in force, stipulating that both sides would help defend each other if either were attacked by a third party.

    Moderninzing the Philippines’ military capabilities by working with the US, and establishing well-connected regional defense cooperation with players like Japan, South Korea and Australia, is a priority for Marcos Jr, according to Richard Heydarian, senior lecturer in international relations at the University of the Philippines Asian Center.

    Heydarian describes the approach as a “multi-vector foreign policy of maximizing ties with all major powers without excessively relying on any one of them.”

    “He’s doubling down in the Philippines’ alliance with the United States so that we deal with China from a position of strength,” Heydarian said.

    Heydarian added that China has to rethink its strategy towards the Philippines, as the Marcos Jr administration is openly more aligned with the US.

    China remains one of the top trade partners of the Philippines, while Marcos Jr also continues to negotiate energy and agriculture investments from Beijing.

    But Manila’s growing caution towards Beijing in recent years has been furthered by recent maritime aggressions – including accusations China used a high-powered laser against a Philippine Coast Guard vessel in February – Beijing’s increased drills around Taiwan as well as maritime patrols in the South China Sea, said Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore.

    “These give the Philippines a lot of reason for caution towards Beijing. But at the same time, they do want to keep relations with Beijing on an even keel,” Chong said.

    Support for the expanded defense ties with Washington is far from unanimous.

    Some worry Marcos Jr might be giving too much access to the US, especially when it comes to bases and facilities close to Taiwan, Heydarian said.

    The president’s own sister, Sen. Imee Marcos, has publicly questioned why the Philippine government should rely on foreigners for its external defense, urging for defined limitations on the EDCA pact should the country be dragged into regional conflict.

    As the US-China rivalry intensifies the Indo-Pacific, their competition for influence has been localized within the Philippines, particularly in the provinces where American bases are located, Arugay added.

    There were pockets of protest in Cagayan province, the northern mountainous region where three out of the four new EDCA sites are to be built.

    At least 5,000 people in Cagayan held demonstrations and prayer rallies, as they believed that America’s self-interest were prioritized before the native residents, according to the Cagayan Provincial Information Office.

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  • Wreckage of sunken Japanese WWII ship found

    Wreckage of sunken Japanese WWII ship found

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    Wreckage of sunken Japanese WWII ship found – CBS News


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    The wreckage of a Japanese ship that was torpedoed during World War II off the coast of the Philippines has been found. The ship was carrying Allied prisoners of war, most of them Australians, when it sank in 1942. All 1,080 people aboard perished.

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  • Surf Resort Or Luxury Home? $11 Million Island Property In The Philippines Lets You Choose

    Surf Resort Or Luxury Home? $11 Million Island Property In The Philippines Lets You Choose

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    Mam-On Island in the Philippines is as authentic as island life gets. White sand beaches, turquoise waters, coral reefs, secret surf spots—and little else—make its Pacific Ocean setting a natural standout. What more could anyone want? Maybe an $11 million pristine property with 2,300 feet of shoreline in the country’s prime surf zone.

    “It is undoubtedly a perfect location for a sustainable and green luxury resort with a gym and spa on the hill,” says listing agent Mary Anne Meily. “Or it could also be a large private luxury home” on the remote island with about 300 residents.

    The potential for a private villa or an exclusive resort to be built on the 538,200-square-foot property would be a one-of-a-kind venture. The land faces west, perfect for sunrise and sunset views and includes a hill offering 360-degree views of surrounding islands.

    Although Mam-On is located in the surfing capital of the Philippines, it is lightly visited by tourists. “Surfers rarely come to the island,” Meily says. “Its unique wave is almost exclusively surfed by a few locals and connoisseurs. The owner tried to keep the place very private.” Those who do visit value the quiet local lifestyle without commercial clutter.

    The island is located about 15 minutes by boat from Siargao Island, one of the most popular surfing spots in the country and the world. It rose to prominence in 1980 after two foreigners—American Tony Arruza and Australian Steve Jones—came to find the “perfect wave” and wound up liking the new venue. In the early 1990s, photographer John Callahan’s images of surfers riding big waves put Siargao on the map.

    The surf boom sparked the development of local tourism and other activities, such as snorkeling, diving, sailing, parasailing and kite surfing. The sport became so popular that the government hosts an annual surf competition open to locals and foreigners.

    Even so, Siargao retains an authentic vibe and remains a beloved travel destination. In 2021, Siargao was voted best island in Asia by readers of the magazine Condé Nast Traveler.

    Mam-On also remains remote and private, perfect for anyone seeking an island hideaway.

    MORE FROM FORBES GLOBAL PROPERTIES

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    Mary Anne Meily is an advertising partner with Forbes Global Properties, a consumer marketplace and membership network of elite brokerages selling the world’s most luxurious homes.

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  • Asia’s prices are rising. In the Philippines, they’re soaring

    Asia’s prices are rising. In the Philippines, they’re soaring

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    Manila, Philippines – Emelie Ann Ducabo, 57, a married mother and sales worker in Metro Manila, has been forced to become an expert in pinching pennies to feed the seven members of her household.

    At the market, Ducabo buys pork, fruit and vegetables in the smallest possible quantities, but pricier beef is totally out of the question. Instead of chicken legs and thighs, she opts for liver and necks, which she makes into noodle soup that she doles out to her husband, two grown sons, sister-in-law and her 94-year-old mother’s carer. Her mother follows a special diet of pureed fruits and oatmeal.

    “The important thing is to draw the protein from these chicken parts that our body needs,” Ducabo told Al Jazeera.

    Every member of the household drinks their morning coffee black, without sugar, and the occasional sweet treat is restricted to grated melon mixed with milk and crushed ice.

    Despite their difficult circumstances, Ducabo is lucky to be able to attend to her boys and mother. She works mostly from home as a buyer at a garment firm. She and her husband own their 40-square-metre (430sq ft) house.

    The only items Ducabo does not scrimp on are the detergent for washing her family’s clothes – “I want my boys smelling clean!” – the small native bananas that are always on the table for anyone who is hungry and her mother’s adult diapers and special diet.

    Emelie Ann Ducabo supports six members of her extended family, including her adult son Darren [Raissa Robles]

    Prices in the Philippines are soaring – and faster than anywhere elsewhere in Southeast Asia, apart from war-torn Myanmar and socialist Laos.

    In February, inflation reached 8.6 percent – down a hair from the previous month – far outpacing Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.

    While most households are tightening their belts, the situation for lower-income families is particularly difficult.

    Whereas wealthier Philippine households spend less than two-fifths of their income on food, those in the bottom 30 percent of the income distribution spend nearly 60 percent of their earnings on sustenance, according to government statistics.

    Under a special Consumer Price Index (CPI) used to measure cost-of-living pressures for lower-income households, inflation in February hit the equivalent of 9.7 percent – unchanged from the previous month.

    The Philippines is especially vulnerable to inflation due to a combination of factors, including high consumption taxes and elevated production and distribution costs following the privatisation of public utilities, said Rosario Guzman, head of research at the IBON Foundation, an economic think tank.

    “The government can no longer intervene in pricing water and electricity rates. We have the highest electric rates in Asia next to Japan,” Guzman told Al Jazeera.

    Then-President Rodrigo Duterte’s introduction of an excise tax on all petroleum products in 2018, on top of the existing value-added tax (VAT) of 12 percent, had an especially severe impact on the poor, Guzman said.

    Her think tank calculated that every Philippine peso increase at the pump generated an extra 400 million pesos ($7.3m) a day for the government last year.

    President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has dismissed calls to suspend the VAT or excise tax on fuel, blaming high pump prices on the war in Ukraine and other external forces.

    Jonathan Ravelas, the former chief market strategist of BDO bank and now managing director of eManagement for Business and Marketing Services, said the cost-of-living crisis had exposed the Philippines’ overreliance on imported food.

    “We have no food security,” Ravelas told Al Jazeera, noting that the weakness of the peso to the dollar had driven import costs higher.

    “Duterte did not undertake [a] food security [programme] but just imported,” Ravelas said. “Now, Marcos Jr has no choice but to push food security.”

    “Unfortunately, there is no shortcut to food security, and importation has its limits,” he added.

    While the Philippine central bank has raised its benchmark rate to 6.25 percent, Ravelas said it needs to go further to bring down inflation.

    “In my view, the Bangko Sentral should still raise overnight rates close to 7 percent and not stop at 6.5 percent,” he said.

    Philippines
    Alfredo Barrun Pineda swapped his taxi for a motorcycle to cut down on petrol costs [Raissa Robles]

    For Alfredo Barrun Pineda, Jr, 43, the rising cost of living was enough to convince him to give up driving an air-conditioned taxi. Now he drives a motorcycle with a sidecar filled with plastic pails, tubs and hangers that he barters for broken electronic goods and appliances, which he then sells to junk or repair shops. A megaphone announces his presence in middle-class neighbourhoods.

    “I earn as much from this as from a taxi,” Pineda told Al Jazeera. He stopped driving a taxi when he found himself paying 2,000 pesos to operate his vehicle for 300 kilometres. To cope with inflation, he said, his family eats “the cheaper vegetables”.

    Pineda said he voted for Marcos, the son of former dictatorial leader Ferdinand Marcos, who had promised to bring down the price of rice to 20 pesos per kilo.

    “Yes, it’s still 42 [a kilo], but that’s okay. His father did a lot and all those accusations [of plunder] against him aren’t true.”

    Some Filipinos have sought out opportunities in the cost-of-living crisis.

    Jan Carlo, 12, spends four days each week strolling the sprawling campus of the state university in suburban Quezon City, balancing a giant plastic basin on his head filled with fresh – and pricey – salad greens and strawberries from a vegetable stall his stepmother runs nearby.

    He has identified his target market: students and matrons jogging or biking on campus who do not mind paying him 50 pesos ($0.92) per head of cauliflower or broccoli and 100 pesos ($1.84) for a small tub of fresh strawberries.

    His side hustle allows him to earn a little more than the monthly minimum wage for adults – all of which he hands over to his stepmother – although he has recently cut back to free up his time for school, which he has only attended for two years.

    Juan
    Jan Carlo, 12, spends four days a week selling fruit and vegetables to help support his stepmother [Raissa Robles]

    “All of these vegetables I am carrying, all these are profit, because we already earned back [our costs] in my mother’s stall,” he told Al Jazeera.

    In the meantime, families like Ducabo’s must constantly come up with their own ways to get by.

    To save on transport costs, Ducabo’s husband, Donato, a security guard, sleeps in the barracks his company provides on most nights of the week.

    Ducabo describes the one or two nights a week he spends at home as “our bonding moment”, when she makes a special effort to stir-fry pancit noodles with bits of vegetables and meat and make Shanghai-style spring rolls.

    Ducabo said their situation was, ironically, in some ways better during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic because the government had given out free rice and other food.

    “But now, nothing,” she said.

    “If I get emotional about our situation and blame the government for the high cost of food, I would get a heart attack. So I decided to just go with the flow.”

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  • Blaze on Philippine passenger ferry kills at least 10

    Blaze on Philippine passenger ferry kills at least 10

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    Some 230 people have been rescued after a ferry caught fire in the sea off the southern Philippine province of Basilan.

    At least 10 people have died and around 230 were rescued after a passenger ferry caught fire in the seas off the southern Philippine province of Basilan, a coastguard official and rescue workers said.

    Nine other people were injured in the fire on Wednesday night that started in air-conditioned cabins, Commodore Rejard Marfe, coastguard chief in southern Mindanao, told the DZMM radio station.

    Photographs shared by the coastguard showed the MV Lady Mary Joy 3 ship being sprayed with water, while rescued passengers were brought to the shore.

    The MV Lady Mary Joy 3 was travelling from Zamboanga City on Mindanao Island to Jolo Island in Sulu province when the fire broke, prompting passengers to jump overboard, an emergency worker told reporters.

    Basilan Governor Jim Salliman said there could be more people missing because the number of passengers on the vessel exceeded the 205 listed in the ship’s manifest.

    “Probably there are passengers who didn’t register in the manifest,” he said. Survivors were taken to Zamboanga and Basilan where the injured received treatment for burns, Salliman said.

    It was not clear how the fire started.

    Nixon Alonzo, chief of the Basilan disaster agency, said some passengers jumped into the sea when the fire broke out.

    “Some of the fatalities were recovered from the vessel, and some drowned,” he said. “There were signs of burns in some of the victims.”

    The coastguard said it will assist in an investigation and safety assessment, as well check for any signs of an oil spill.

    The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands, has a poor record for maritime safety, with vessels often overcrowded and many ageing ships still in use.

    In May, at least seven people died after a fire in a high-speed Philippine ferry carrying 134 people.

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