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Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte refused to be fingerprinted and threatened legal action against a police general during a chaotic arrest, according to Philippine authorities. Police Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre revealed details of the tense 12-hour standoff that took place on Tuesday at a Philippine air base. Despite resistance from Duterte, his family, lawyers, and friends, police eventually succeeded in placing the 79-year-old former leader onto a government-chartered jet bound for The Hague, Netherlands. There, the International Criminal Court (ICC) detained him on charges of crimes against humanity. Former Philippine president Duterte arrested on ICC warrant for killings Once a feared figure for his harsh anti-crime policies and controversial remarks—such as calling Pope Francis a “son of a bitch” and telling former U.S. President Barack Obama to “go to hell”—Duterte’s dramatic downfall has been hailed by human rights advocates as a major victory against state impunity. Duterte was apprehended upon arrival at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport, accompanied by his common-law wife, daughter, and friends returning from Hong Kong. He was then taken under heavy police escort to the presidential lounge at Villamor Air Base for booking, which included fingerprinting before his transfer to the Netherlands. However, Duterte and his entourage resisted, preventing his immediate transport to a Gulfstream G550 executive jet, Torre said. The standoff lasted about 12 hours and was highly tense. According to Torre, one of his officers sustained a head injury after being struck with a cellphone by Duterte’s common-law wife, while Duterte’s daughter hurled expletives at him. Despite the hostility, Torre maintained his composure. The former president, a former prosecutor and congressman, refused to comply with the police booking process. “We wanted to have him fingerprinted, but he resisted,” Torre said. In a separate interview, he confirmed that he had arrested and handcuffed Duterte’s executive secretary for obstructing the transfer. A widely circulated video on social media captured Duterte surrounded by his family, lawyers, and friends, questioning Torre: “Are you going to bring me straight to the airplane?” Torre recalled Duterte defiantly stating, “You have to kill me to bring me to The Hague.” Torre responded, “That’s not our intention, sir,” as officers removed individuals blocking Duterte’s path. Duterte’s legal team has challenged the arrest, arguing that Philippine authorities failed to present an official copy of the ICC warrant and violated his constitutional rights. His lawyers and supporters also criticized President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s government for allowing the ICC to take custody of Duterte, despite the Philippines having withdrawn from the court. Vice President Sara Duterte, the former president’s daughter, condemned the move, calling it a “blatant affront” to national sovereignty and an insult to Filipinos. “This is not justice—this is oppression and persecution,” she said. President Marcos, who has since had a political rift with the vice president following their short-lived alliance in the 2022 elections, appeared on national television at midnight, refuting her accusations. Days before his arrest, Duterte spoke to supporters in Hong Kong, acknowledging the ICC warrant and expressing his willingness to face imprisonment. “If this is my fate in life, it’s OK, I’ll accept it. I can’t do anything if I get arrested and jailed,” he said, peppering his remarks with expletives. Impeachment complaint filed against Philippine VP Duterte for threatening President Marcos Duterte’s political career was built on his ruthless stance against crime, particularly his bloody war on drugs, which resulted in thousands of deaths. Throughout his presidency, he remained unapologetic, even lashing out at world leaders who criticized his policies. He infamously told Obama to “go to hell” after being condemned for his violent anti-drug campaign. In 2015, he shocked the Catholic Church when he cursed Pope Francis while venting frustration over a traffic jam during the pontiff’s visit to Manila. “I wanted to call. ‘Pope, you son of a bitch, go home. Don’t visit here anymore,’” he told a cheering crowd. Following widespread outrage from Filipino bishops, he later issued an apology.

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was taken into custody at Manila's international airport on Tuesday following an arrest order from the International Criminal Court (ICC) over a crime against humanity case filed against him, according to the Philippine government. Duterte was apprehended upon arrival from Hong Kong, with police enforcing the ICC’s arrest warrant in connection to the large-scale killings that took place under his violent anti-drug campaign, President Ferdinand Marcos' office stated. Philippine VP prepares for impeachment, avoids commenting on resignation “Upon his arrival, the prosecutor general presented the ICC notification of an arrest warrant to the former president for crimes against humanity,” the government said. “He is now in the custody of authorities.” The unexpected arrest led to a commotion at the airport, where Duterte’s lawyers and aides vocally protested, claiming they, along with a doctor and legal representatives, were denied access to him after he was detained. “This is a violation of his constitutional rights,” said Sen. Bong Go, a close ally of Duterte. Duterte’s arrest and subsequent downfall left families of those killed in his anti-drug campaign in shock, with many breaking down in tears. “This is a long-awaited victory for justice,” said Randy delos Santos, the uncle of a teenager who was fatally shot by police in a 2017 anti-drug operation in Metro Manila. “Now we feel that justice is moving forward. We hope that senior police officials and the hundreds of officers involved in these unlawful killings will also be held accountable and punished,” he added. Three officers responsible for the killing of his nephew, Kian delos Santos, were convicted in 2018 for the high-profile murder, which led Duterte to temporarily halt his brutal anti-drug campaign at the time. This conviction was among only a few against law enforcers linked to the campaign, reinforcing victims’ families' concerns that justice within the country remained elusive, prompting them to seek the ICC’s intervention. It was unclear where Duterte was taken after his arrest, but the government confirmed that the 79-year-old former president was in good health. The ICC’s investigation into Duterte’s drug-related killings covers the period from November 1, 2011—when he was mayor of Davao City—until March 16, 2019. Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the Rome Statute in 2019, a move that human rights advocates believe was aimed at evading accountability. Afghans arrive in the Philippines to complete visa processing for resettlement in US Duterte’s administration attempted to block the ICC probe in 2021, arguing that Philippine authorities were already investigating the same allegations, and therefore, the ICC—meant to be a last resort—had no jurisdiction. However, in 2023, ICC appeals judges ruled that the investigation could proceed, dismissing the Duterte administration’s objections. The Hague-based ICC intervenes when national authorities are either unwilling or unable to prosecute individuals for serious international crimes, such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who took office in 2022 and has since had a contentious relationship with Duterte, has opted not to rejoin the ICC. However, his administration has stated that it would comply if the ICC requested international law enforcement to arrest Duterte through a Red Notice, a global alert for locating and detaining a suspect temporarily.

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte opted not to attend the first hearing on Wednesday regarding allegations of threats she made against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., citing doubts about the fairness of the investigation, reports AP. Despite being subpoenaed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Duterte sent her lawyer instead. The lawyer submitted a letter in which Duterte strongly denied making any threats that would qualify as “grave threats” under the law. Second impeachment complaint against Philippine VP over president threat The controversy stems from a Nov. 23 online news conference where Duterte publicly threatened Marcos, his wife, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez with death. She later clarified that her comments were an expression of concern for her own safety, alleging that she had received death threats herself. Tensions between Marcos and Duterte have escalated since their election in 2022. In the Philippines, the president and vice president are elected separately, which can result in political rivals occupying the highest offices in the country. Duterte, 46, is the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is under investigation by the International Criminal Court for the deaths of thousands during his war on drugs. NBI Director Jaime Santiago stated that the preliminary investigation would proceed regardless of Duterte’s presence or the submission of her counter-affidavit. He added that a report would be submitted to the Department of Justice by early January. The investigation, initially scheduled for Nov. 29, was postponed at Duterte’s request. On Wednesday, Duterte expressed her skepticism about the fairness of the investigation, asserting, “Even if they say there is an investigation, from the very beginning they already decided to file cases.” She also confirmed she has no intention of leaving the country to evade the complaints and that she and her lawyers are preparing to address the impeachment cases filed against her. Duterte faces two impeachment complaints for alleged constitutional violations, betrayal of public trust, mismanagement of government funds, and issuing death threats against Marcos. Additionally, the House of Representatives is probing the alleged misuse of 612.5 million pesos ($10.3 million) in confidential and intelligence funds allocated to Duterte’s offices as vice president and former education secretary. She has since stepped down from the education role.

About 87,000 people were being evacuated in a central Philippine region Tuesday a day after a volcano briefly erupted with a towering ash plume and superhot streams of gas and debris hurtling down its western slopes. The latest eruption of Mount Kanlaon on central Negros island did not cause any immediate casualties, but the alert level was raised one level, indicating further and more explosive eruptions may occur. Earthquake activity near Alaskan Volcano sparks concerns Volcanic ash fell on a wide area, including Antique province, more than 200 kilometers (124 miles) across seawaters west of the volcano, obscuring visibility and posing health risks, Philippine chief volcanologist Teresito Bacolcol and other officials said by telephone. At least six domestic flights and a flight bound for Singapore were canceled and two local flights were diverted in the region Monday and Tuesday due to Kanlaon’s eruption, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. The mass evacuations were being carried out urgently in towns and villages nearest the western and southern slopes of Kanlaon which were blanketed by its ash, including in La Castellana town in Negros Occidental where nearly 47,000 people have to be evacuated out of a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) danger zone, the Office of Civil Defense said. The far side of the moon once had erupting volcanoes too More than 6,000 have moved to evacuation centers aside from those who have temporarily transferred to the homes of relatives in La Castellana by Tuesday morning, the town’s mayor, Rhumyla Mangilimutan, told The Associated Press by telephone. Disaster-response contingents were rapidly establishing evacuation centers and seeking supplies of face masks, food and hygiene packs ahead of the Christmas season, traditionally a peak time for holiday travel and family celebrations in the largely Roman Catholic nation. Authorities also shut schools and imposed a nighttime curfew in the most vulnerable areas. The Philippines’ Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the nearly four-minute eruption of Kanlaon volcano on Monday afternoon had caused a pyroclastic density current — a superhot stream of gas, ash, debris and rocks that can incinerate anything in its path. “It's a one-time but major eruption,” Bacolcol told the AP, adding that volcanologists were assessing if Monday's eruption spewed old volcanic debris and rocks clogged in and near the summit crater or was caused by rising magma from underneath. Few volcanic earthquakes were detected ahead of Monday's explosion, Bacolcol said. The alert level around Kanlaon was placed on Monday to the third-highest of a five-step warning system, indicating “magmatic eruption" may have begun and may progress to further explosive eruptions. Philippine villagers flee ashfall, sight of red-hot lava from erupting Mayon volcano The 2,435-meter (7,988-foot) volcano, one of the country’s 24 most-active volcanoes, last erupted in June sending hundreds of villagers to emergency shelters. In 1996, three hikers were killed near the peak and several others were later rescued when Kanlaon erupted without warning, officials said. Located in the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a region prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, the Philippines is also lashed by about 20 typhoons and storms a year and is among the countries most prone to natural disasters.

A coalition of leftist activists lodged a second impeachment complaint against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday, citing alleged misuse of government funds and seeking her permanent disqualification from public office, reports AP. The complaint, supported by at least 74 activists including leaders from human rights, labour, and student organisations, was submitted to the House of Representatives, highlighting the ongoing political challenges faced by Vice President Duterte. She has yet to comment on this new complaint or the first one filed on Monday. Impeachment complaint filed against Philippine VP Duterte for threatening President Marcos Duterte, a 46-year-old lawyer, is the daughter of the controversial former president Rodrigo Duterte, whose administration was marked by a violent anti-drug campaign that resulted in thousands of deaths and is under investigation by the International Criminal Court for possible crimes against humanity. Her main political rival is President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whom she publicly threatened with death during an online news conference on November 23. A criminal probe has been initiated into her threats against Marcos, his wife, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, a cousin and ally of the president. Duterte clarified that her statements were not intended as a direct threat but as expressions of concern for her safety. Philippines vice president publicly threatens President Marcos with assassination The latest impeachment complaint accuses Duterte of breaching public trust through the unlawful use and mismanagement of 612.5 million pesos ($10.3 million) in confidential funds. The complainants allege that she and her team tried to conceal these discrepancies by submitting forged reports and obstructing congressional investigations. It claims that in December 2022, Duterte’s office spent 125 million pesos ($2 million) over 11 days during the Christmas season on dubious expenses, including renting "safe houses," paying for unidentified confidential information, and providing unclear rewards. “Misuse of confidential funds is a profound betrayal of the people,” said Liza Maza from the Makabayan coalition. “This is not just a technical breach but a systematic plunder of public resources.” Renato Reyes of the Bayan coalition added, “Impeachment is essential for addressing impunity. Citizens and taxpayers must hold officials accountable.” Earlier, a group of civil society activists, including priests and pro-democracy advocates, submitted an initial impeachment case citing approximately 24 alleged crimes and irregularities. These included Duterte’s threats against Marcos, alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings linked to her father's anti-drug campaign, and her perceived failure to counter Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea. The House of Representatives, dominated by Marcos allies and Speaker Martin Romualdez—who is also at odds with Duterte—will review the impeachment complaints. This process could take weeks or even months, as Congress is set to go into its Christmas break on December 20 and reconvene on January 13. Many lawmakers will then begin campaigning for the May 12 midterm elections. Duterte's offices, as vice president and former education secretary, have been under investigation for their handling of confidential and intelligence funds. She has since stepped down from her education role. Duterte has avoided providing detailed responses during tense televised hearings. Additionally, Philippine police have filed criminal charges against her and her security detail for allegedly assaulting authorities and defying orders during an incident at Congress involving her chief of staff, who was accused of obstructing the funds inquiry. The National Bureau of Investigation has summoned Duterte to appear on December 11 regarding her threats against the president. Duterte and Marcos won their 2022 election campaign in a landslide as running mates but have since had significant political differences. In the Philippines, the vice presidency and presidency are elected separately, leading to a situation where rivals may hold the highest political offices.

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte is facing an impeachment complaint filed Monday in the House of Representatives, citing death threats she made against the president and her alleged involvement in extra-judicial killings, corruption, and failure to oppose Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, reports Associated Press (AP). The complaint, brought forward by prominent civil society activists, accuses Duterte of violating the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, and committing “high crimes.” Among the allegations are death threats directed at President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez. Representative Percival Cendana, who endorsed the complaint, stated, “We’re hoping that with this complaint, we can end the nightmare that our vice president has brought to the people.” A copy of the complaint obtained by AP described Duterte’s actions as reflecting “mental incapacity, depravity, and lack of mental fitness,” qualifying as both betrayal of public trust and a high crime warranting impeachment. Philippines vice president publicly threatens President Marcos with assassination Duterte, 46, also faces allegations of unexplained wealth and of permitting the continuation of extra-judicial killings of drug suspects initiated by her father, Rodrigo Duterte, during his tenure as mayor of Davao City. The impeachment comes amid a bitter political rivalry between Duterte and President Marcos Jr. She acknowledged in a Nov. 23 online news conference that she had hired an assassin to target Marcos, his wife, and Romualdez if she were killed. Duterte later clarified that her comments were not intended as a threat but reflected concerns about her safety. The Philippine Congress, dominated by Marcos and Romualdez allies, will now scrutinise the impeachment complaint. The legislative process may extend into the new year, as Congress is set to recess on Dec. 20 and resume on Jan. 13, with elections in May adding further political complexity. A key issue in the House’s ongoing investigation concerns the alleged misuse of PHP 612.5 million ($10.3 million) in confidential and intelligence funds by Duterte’s offices as vice president and former education secretary. Duterte has refused to respond to detailed questions in tense televised hearings and strongly objected to the detention of her chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, who was accused of obstructing the inquiry. Criminal complaints have also been filed against Duterte and her security staff for alleged assault and defiance of authorities during an altercation in Congress. The rivalry between Marcos and Duterte, former running mates who won by a landslide in the 2022 election, has escalated due to disagreements over policy, including approaches to China’s territorial claims and the controversial anti-drug crackdown led by Duterte’s father. The impeachment complaint includes accusations that Duterte failed to condemn Chinese aggression in the South China Sea and allowed extra-judicial killings of drug suspects during her tenure as mayor of Davao City. Arturo Lascanas, a former police officer and key witness, claimed Duterte permitted these killings to continue. The impeachment effort highlights the fallout from Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly anti-drug campaign, which resulted in thousands of deaths and is under investigation by the International Criminal Court as a potential crime against humanity. President Marcos has dismissed the impeachment effort as a distraction, but critics argue it is necessary to uphold accountability and the rule of law.

Truckloads of villagers on Tuesday fled Philippine communities close to the erupting Mayon volcano, traumatized by the sight of red-hot lava flowing down its crater and fearful of sporadic blasts of ash. Nearly 15,000 people have left the mostly poor farming communities within a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) radius of Mayon's crater in northeastern Albay province in forced evacuations since volcanic activity spiked last week. Albay's governor extended the danger zone by a kilometer (more than half a mile) on Monday and asked thousands of residents to be ready to move anytime. Also Read: Philippines’ Mayon Volcano spews lava down its slopes in gentle eruption putting thousands on alert But many opted to flee from the expanded danger zone even before the mandatory evacuation order. "There's lava and ashfall already," Fidela Banzuela, 61, said from a navy truck where she, her daughter, grandchildren and neighbors clambered up after leaving their home in San Fernando village close to Mayon. "If the volcano explodes, we won't see anything because it would be so dark." Her daughter, Sarah Banzuela, fled with her two children, including a 2-year-old who has asthma, which she said could be triggered back by volcanic ash that rained down on their village over the weekend. Also Read: Philippines evacuates people near Mayon Volcano, where more unrest indicates eruption may be coming "There's ashfall already and, at night, there's red-hot lava from the volcano that seems to be moving closer to us," Sarah Banzuela, 22, told The Associated Press. She and her mother arrived at a grade school turned into an evacuation center teeming with other displaced villagers. After days of showing signs of renewed restiveness, including a swarm of rockfalls and a bright-orange crater glow visible at night, Mayon began expelling lava Sunday night, which flowed slowly down two gulleys on its southeastern slope, government volcano experts said. An ash plume that shot up to 328 feet (100 meters) at dawn on Tuesday drifted southeastward with the wind toward some villages, said Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. Also Read: Philippines warns of possible flooding, landslides as Typhoon Mawar slowly passes to north An AP video showed a boulder getting ripped from the side of a dome of lava in Mayon's crater then plunging and breaking into smaller red-hot pieces as it rolled down and smashed onto other stones on the volcano's steep slope. The 2,462-meter (8,077-foot) Mayon is a top tourist draw in the Philippines because of its picturesque conical shape but is the most active of 24 known volcanoes in the archipelago. It last erupted violently in 2018, displacing tens of thousands. In 1814, Mayon's eruption buried entire villages and left more than 1,000 people dead. With its peak often shrouded by wisps of passing clouds, Mayon appeared calm on Tuesday, but Bacolcol told AP that lava was continuing to flow slowly down its slopes but could not easily be seen under the bright sun. The volcano had been raised to alert level three on a five-step warning system last Thursday, meaning a hazardous eruption is possible in weeks or days. The eruption is the latest natural calamity to test the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who took office in June last year and inherited an economy that was shattered by two years of the coronavirus pandemic, which also deepened poverty and unemployment. He has deployed some of his Cabinet officials to Albay to help distribute food aid to and reassure displaced villagers. Liza David Balbin fled with her children to an emergency shelter in Santo Domingo town after she got scared of Mayon's lava emissions and her farming community of San Antonio was hit by ashfall. The 48-year-old housewife said the government should find an effective way of relocating poor Filipinos like her away from volcanoes, mountainsides where landslides are common and coastlines that are lashed by tidal waves. In 1991, Balbin witnessed Mount Pinatubo blowing its top in one of the biggest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century. The massive ashfall and volcanic mudflows wiped out her village and outlying communities in Pampanga province north of Manila. She survived and years later married a man who took her to his home province of Albay, where they lived in an impoverished village not far from Mayon. "I escaped from Pinatubo then ended up near Mayon volcano," she told AP with a laugh. "Why is my life like this?" "If only we've got money, we would have left that danger zone and built a house far away," said Balbin, who makes a living doing laundry. "Now we're in an evacuation camp again and it's really been a difficult life. This is too much."  

Thousands of American and Filipino forces pummeled a ship with a barrage of high-precision rockets, airstrikes and artillery fire in their largest war drills on Wednesday in Philippine waters facing the disputed South China Sea that would likely antagonize China. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. watched the American show of firepower from an observation tower in the coastal town of San Antonio in northwestern Zambales province — the latest indication of his strong backing of the Philippines' treaty alliance with the U.S. Marcos has ordered his military to shift its focus to external defense from decades-long anti-insurgency battles as China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea become a top concern. The shift in the Philippine defense focus falls in sync with the Biden administration’s aim of reinforcing an arc of alliances in the Indo-Pacific region to better counter China. Also Read: US sails warship through Taiwan Strait after China's drills China has angered the Philippines by repeatedly harassing its navy and coast guard patrols and chasing away fishermen in the waters close to Philippine shores but which Beijing claims as its own. The Philippines has filed more than 200 diplomatic protests against China since last year, including at least 77 since Marcos took office in June. Sitting beside U.S. Ambassador MaryKay Carlson and his top defense and security advisers, Marcos used a pair of binoculars, smiling and nodding, as rockets streaked into the blue sky from the U.S. High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, a multiple rocket and missile launcher mounted on a truck that has become a crucial weapon for Ukrainian troops battling Russian invasion forces. The coastal clearing in front of Marcos resembled a smoke-shrouded war zone, which thudded with artillery fire as AH-64 Apache attack helicopters flew overhead. Also Read: US, Philippines hold largest war drills near disputed waters “This training increased the exercise’s realism and complexity, a key priority shared between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. military,” Lt. Gen. William Jurney, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, said. “Together we are strengthening our capabilities in full-spectrum military operations across all domains,” said Jurney, the U.S. director for the annual joint exercises called Balikatan, Tagalog for ”shoulder-to-shoulder." About 12,200 U.S military personnel, 5,400 Filipino forces and 111 Australian counterparts were taking part in the exercises, the largest since Balikatan started three decades ago. The drills have showcased U.S. warships, fighter jets as well as Patriot missiles, HIMARS and anti-tank Javelins, according to U.S. and Philippine military officials. The ship targeted by the allied forces was a decommissioned Philippine navy warship, which was towed about 18 to 22 kilometers (11 to 14 miles) out to sea. Smaller floating targets, including empty drums tied together, were also used as targets to simulate a battle scene where a U.S. Marine Corps command and control hub enabled scattered allied forces to identify and locate enemy targets then deliver precision rocket and missile fire. Philippine military officials said the maneuvers would bolster the country’s coastal defense and disaster-response capabilities and were not aimed at any country. China has opposed military drills involving U.S. forces in the region in the past as well as increasing U.S. military deployments, which it warned would rachet up tensions and hamper regional stability and peace. Washington and Beijing have been on a collision course over China’s increasingly assertive actions to defend its vast territorial claims in the South China Sea and Beijing’s goal of annexing Taiwan, by force if necessary. In February, Marcos approved a wider U.S. military presence in the Philippines by allowing rotating batches of American forces to stay in four more Philippine military camps. That was a sharp turnaround from his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, who feared that a larger American military footprint could antagonize Beijing. China strongly opposed the move, which would allow U.S. forces to establish staging grounds and surveillance posts in the northern Philippines across the sea from Taiwan and in western Philippine provinces facing the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety. China has warned that a deepening security alliance between Washington and Manila and their ongoing military drills should not harm its security and territorial interests or interfere in the territorial disputes. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has said that such military cooperation “should not target any third party and should be conducive to regional peace and stability.”

The Philippines said Thursday it was allowing U.S. forces to broaden their footprint in the Southeast Asian nation, the latest Biden administration move bolstering an arc of military alliances in the Indo-Pacific to better counter China, including in any future confrontation over Taiwan. Thursday’s agreement, which gives U.S. forces access to four more military camps, was announced during a visit by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. He has led efforts to strengthen America’s security alliances in Asia in the face of China’s increasing assertiveness toward Taiwan and territorial disputes in the South China Sea. “It’s a big deal,” Austin said at a news conference, while noting the agreement did not mean the re-establishment of permanent American bases in the Philippines. In a televised news conference with his Philippine counterpart, Carlito Galvez Jr., Austin gave assurances of U.S. military support and said the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, which obligates the U.S. and the Philippines to help defend each other in major conflicts, “applies to armed attacks on either of our armed forces, public vessels or aircraft anywhere in the South China Sea.” “We discussed concrete actions to address destabilizing activities in the waters,” Austin said. “This is part of our effort to modernize our alliance, and these efforts are especially important as the People’s Republic of China continues to advance its illegitimate claims in the West Philippine Sea.” American leaders have long sought to reorient U.S. foreign policy to better reflect the rise of China as a significant military and economic competitor, as well as to better deal with the lasting threat from North Korea. The tensions between China and Taiwan will be high on the agenda next week when U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to meet with China’s new foreign minister, Qin Gang. China claims the self-ruled island as its own territory — to be taken by force if necessary — and Beijing has sent warships, bombers, fighter jets and support aircraft into airspace near Taiwan on a near-daily basis, sparking concerns of a potential blockade or military action. The announcement from the Philippines follows a U.S.-Japan declaration on Jan. 11 that those two countries’ militaries would be updating and strengthening their defense posture, as well as other earlier pledges of greater military cooperation from Indo-Pacific partners stretching as far south as Australia. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswomen Mao Ning responded Thursday by accusing the United States of pursuing “its selfish agenda.” “The U.S. has adhered to a Cold War zero-sum mentality and strengthened military deployment in the region,” Mao told reporters at a daily briefing. “This is an act that escalates tensions in the region and endangers regional peace and stability.” U.S. and Philippine officials also said that “substantial” progress has been made in projects at five Philippine military bases, where U.S. military personnel were earlier granted access by Filipino officials. Construction of American facilities at those bases has been underway for years but has been hampered by unspecified local issues. China and the Philippines, along with Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, have been locked in increasingly tense territorial disputes over the busy and resource-rich South China Sea. Washington lays no claims to the strategic waters but has deployed its warships and fighter and surveillance aircraft for patrols that it says promote freedom of navigation and the rule of law but have infuriated Beijing. Austin thanked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whom he briefly met in Manila, for allowing the U.S. military to broaden its presence in the Philippines, Washington’s oldest treaty ally in Asia. “I have always said that it seems to me that the future of the Philippines and for that matter the Asia-Pacific will always have to involve the United States simply because those partnerships are so strong,” Marcos told Austin. Galvez said there was a need for more consultations, including with local officials in provinces where visiting U.S. forces would establish a presence in Philippine military camps. A few dozen leftist activities held a noisy protest Thursday and set a mock U.S. flag ablaze outside the main military camp where Austin held talks with his Philippine counterpart. While the two countries are allies, leftist groups and nationalists have resented and often protested boisterously against the U.S. military presence in this former American colony. The country used to host two of the largest U.S. Navy and Air Force bases outside the American mainland. The bases were shut down in the early 1990s after the Philippine Senate rejected an extension, but American forces later returned for large-scale combat exercises with Filipino troops. The Philippine Constitution prohibits the permanent basing of foreign troops and their involvement in local combat. The countries’ Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement allows visiting American forces to stay indefinitely in rotating batches in barracks and other buildings they construct within designated Philippine camps with their defense equipment, except nuclear weapons. Philippine military and defense officials said in November the U.S. had sought access to five more local military camps mostly in the northern Philippine region of Luzon. Two of the camps where the U.S. wanted to gain access are in Cagayan province near Luzon island’s northern tip, across a sea border from Taiwan, the Taiwan Strait and southern China. Other camps that would host American forces are along the country’s western coast, including in the provinces of Palawan and Zambales, which face the disputed South China Sea. “The Philippine-US alliance has stood the test of time and remains ironclad,” the allies said in their statement. “We look forward to the opportunities these new sites will create to expand our cooperation together.” Austin is the latest high-ranking American official to travel to the Philippines after Vice President Kamala Harris visited in November, in a sign of warming ties after a strained period under Marcos’s predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte had nurtured cozy ties with China and Russia and at one point threatened to sever relations with Washington, eject American forces and abrogate the Visiting Forces Agreement that allows thousands of American forces to come each year for large-scale combat exercises. “I am confident that we will continue to work together to defend our shared values of freedom, democracy and human dignity,” Austin said. “As you heard me say before, the United States and the Philippines are more than just allies. We’re family.” Read more: US, Philippines agree on larger American military presence  

The Philippine Supreme Court on Tuesday declared unconstitutional a 2005 pact by China, the Philippines and Vietnam to jointly explore for oil in the disputed South China Sea, a decision that also brings other proposed agreements into doubt. The decision by 12 of the court's 15 justices voided the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking agreement by state-owned companies in the three nations, which are among Asian countries locked in decades-long territorial disputes in the busy waterway. Two justices dissented and one was on leave and did not vote. The court did not immediately make public the full decision and only released highlights in a statement. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who took office in June last year, expressed willingness to revive failed negotiations for joint oil exploration with China in a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Beijing last week. The court ruled that the 2005 agreement violated the constitution by allowing the state-owned oil companies of China and Vietnam to undertake joint oil exploration in Philippine waters. The charter specifies that “the exploration, development and utilization of natural resources shall be under the full control and supervision of the state.” The petitioners argued that oil exploration in Philippine waters should be undertaken by Filipino citizens or corporations and groups that are at least 60% owned by Filipinos, according to the court. Proponents argued that the agreement only involved pre-exploration activities which were not covered by the constitutional prohibition. But the court said the accord’s intent “is to discover petroleum which is tantamount to `exploration.’” The agreement led to a joint oil search in 142,886 square kilometers (55,168 square miles) of sea, including waters claimed by the Philippines as part of its territory and other areas it contests with China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. Under President Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos’s predecessor, the Philippines signed a 2018 agreement with China aimed at agreeing on terms for a possible joint oil and gas exploration in the disputed waters. But years of negotiations failed, mainly due to disagreement over which side has sovereign rights over the stretch of sea to be covered by the joint search. Duterte’s administration terminated the agreement shortly before his six-year term ended last year. A 2016 ruling by a United Nations-backed arbitration tribunal invalidated China’s extensive territorial claims based on historical grounds in the South China Sea. Beijing did not participate in the arbitration, rejected the decision and continues to defy it.