The United States government, in partnership with the government of the Philippines, is hosting the sixth Indo-Pacific Business Forum (IPBF) on May 2.  Government and business leaders from the United States, the Philippines, and countries across the Indo-Pacific will exchange ideas, explore regional government and business partnerships, and discuss commercial opportunities, said the Spokesperson at the US Department of State on Monday. Trump says he warned NATO ally: Spend more on defense or Russia can 'do whatever the hell they want' The IPBF will showcase high-impact private sector investment and government efforts to support market competition, job growth, and high-standard development plus greater prosperity and economic inclusion in the Indo-Pacific. The IPBF advances a vision for an Indo-Pacific region that is free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient, said the US. The Indo-Pacific region will shape the trajectory of the global economy in the 21st century.  It is the fastest growing region on the planet, accounting for 60 percent of the world economy and two-thirds of all economic growth over the last five years. US rolls out visa restriction policy on people who misuse spyware to target journalists, activists The United States said it remains a major economic partner in the Indo-Pacific.  US companies continue to be the top source of foreign direct investment in the region with nearly $1 trillion in U.S. investments, and roughly the same invested in the United States by firms in the region.  The United States also remains a major trade partner with more than $2 trillion in two-way trade. Biden warns of a 'nightmare' future for the country if Trump should win again, and lists reasons why Exports to the region and investments from the Indo-Pacific support almost 4 million U.S. jobs. "Together with our Philippines co-hosts, we are underscoring our sustained commitment to the region and highlighting the economic ties that have contributed to regional prosperity and interconnectedness," said the Spokesperson.

An advertising agency in the Philippines has apologised for using visuals of tourist attractions in other countries in a promotional film. Visuals from the ad included rice terraces in Indonesia, sand dunes in the United Arab Emirates, and a plane landing in Switzerland, reports BBC. The ad agency, DDB Philippines, apologised for the "unfortunate oversight," it said. Also read: Bangladesh’s first tourism master plan yet to be formulated, was supposed to be completed last Dec Christina Garcia Frasco, Philippines' tourism secretary, stated that public money was not utilised for the film. According to Frasco, the Department of Tourism frequently sought confirmation from the agency that the elements used in the ad were their own and unique, said the report. "ALL these occasions, DDB repeatedly assured the DOT that the originality and ownership of all materials are in order," she said. Also read: Master plan for tourism in Bangladesh to be formulated in Dec: State Minister It was created as part of the "Love the Philippines" campaign, which was launched in late June at a cost of $900,000, the BBC report added. Analysis by French news agency AFP and Philippine blogger Sass Rogando Sasot first revealed the use of visuals from other nations in the ad. Frasco stated that the department will ensure DDB Philippines accepts responsibility for the video. Also read: “We very much value and welcome tourists from Bangladesh” In its own response, DDB Philippines stated that the usage of stock material in mood films is common in the advertising industry, but it apologised for using other videos in this case, the report also said. “The use of foreign stock footage in a campaign promoting the Philippines is highly inappropriate, and contradictory to the DOT's objectives,” it said. The video has been withdrawn, and the company has stated that it would cooperate with the Philippines tourism department's inquiry. Read more: These are the top 25 hotels in Asia, according to Tripadvisor

A Chinese navy training ship with hundreds of cadets 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. Cadets in dress whites stood at attention on deck of the Qi Jiguang as they were welcomed at the port in Manila by Philippine military officials on shore, while artists in dragon costumes performed a traditional dance and onlookers waved Chinese and Philippine flags. China's ambassador to the Philippines was on hand for the ceremony but neither he nor any of the Philippine officials made any comment to the media. Also Read: China complains to South Korean ambassador in tit-for-tat move after Seoul summoned Beijing’s envoy It was a rare visit for a Chinese naval ship to the Philippines, whose new government under Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been strengthening ties with the United States, including more joint military exercises and in February granting the American military greater access to the country's military facilities. China, meantime, has become increasingly assertive in pressing its broad claims to the strategic South China Sea, which has put it at odds with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei. In February, a Chinese coast guard ship aimed a military-grade laser at a Philippine patrol vessel off a disputed reef, temporarily blinding some crew members and prompting the Philippines to intensify its patrols in the South China Sea. Also Read: US confirms China has had a spy base in Cuba since at least 2019 The ship's visit comes a week after joint U.S., Japanese and Philippine coast guard law enforcement drills in the area. President Joe Biden's administration has been broadly working to reinforce alliances in the Indo-Pacific to push back against China's sweeping maritime claims, including threats against the self-governing island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own. The largest naval training ship of China's People's Liberation Army Navy, the Qi Jiguang was to be in port for three days. It was the end of a nearly 40-day voyage for 476 naval cadets and sailors from China's well-known Dalian Naval Academy. When it set off in mid-May, there was no mention of the various territorial disputes China is embroiled in, with official media reporting it as an opportunity for the cadets to visit foreign military vessels, academies and training facilities, and help "deepen the friendship with local people." Also Read: A US-China war will be an ‘unbearable disaster’, world big enough for both superpowers: Chinese Defence Minister Only members of the Chinese-Filipino community were allowed to board the Qi Jiguang on Wednesday, but the ship was to be opened to the broader public on Thursday and Friday. Yong Ning Cai, a Chinese-Chinese businessman who was on the pier to watch the Qi Jiguang's arrival, was one of those allowed to board the ship and said he was impressed by its "advanced and high-end" equipment. "This is a ship of our motherland and it is built very well, better than those in other countries," he said. "This visit is very successful and will definitely promote the friendship between China and the Philippines."

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. Also Read: Philippines evacuates people near Mayon Volcano, where more unrest indicates eruption may be coming  

Philippine troops, police and rescue workers began forcibly evacuating residents near Mayon Volcano on Friday as its increasing unrest indicated a violent eruption of one of the country's most active volcanoes is possible within weeks or days. The area within a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) radius of Mayon's crater is supposed to be off-limits due to possible volcanic emissions, lava flows, rockfalls and other hazards. But many poor villagers have built houses and tended farms in Mayon's danger zone over the years. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said an evacuation of residents from the permanent danger zone was underway and promised to provide aid to the displaced until the crisis ended. Also Read: Philippines warns of possible flooding, landslides as Typhoon Mawar slowly passes to north "Right now, what we are doing is preparing and moving people away from the area so that, should the time come, I hope it doesn't happen…we're ready," Marcos told reporters. "But unfortunately science tells us that may happen because the lid or the cap on top of the lava is slowly rising." Authorities had raised the alert level for the volcano in northeastern Albay province Thursday after superheated streams of gas, debris and rocks cascaded down its upper slope, indicating activity below the surface that could precede a hazardous eruption. Conditions have advanced a little bit more Friday, although lava hasn't started to flow, Marcos said. The numbers of residents being evacuated weren't immediately available. A tourist draw for its picturesque conical shape, 2,462-meter (8,077-feet) Mayon last erupted violently in 2018, displacing tens of thousands of villagers. Government volcano experts raised the alert level around Mayon to the third of a five-step warning system Thursday after detecting an increasing number of rockfalls and at least two volcanic earthquakes in recent days. Six brief volcanic gas and ash emissions streamed down the volcano's southern gullies about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the crater Friday. Numerous rockfalls and thin ash and steam plumes that drifted south were also observed, the government volcanology institute said. Mayon is at "a relatively high level of unrest as magma is at the crater and hazardous eruption is possible within weeks or even days," the institute said in its latest update Friday morning. Mayon is one of the most restive of two dozen active volcanoes across the Philippines. Officials also were closely monitoring Taal Volcano south of Manila and Mount Kanlaon on central Negros island due to renewed signs of restiveness. A number of villages in three towns near Taal suspended classes Wednesday due to thick smog emanating from the volcano and residents were advised to limit outdoor activities and wear masks for protection. The Philippines lies along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," the area around the ocean rim where tectonic plates meet that is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. A long-dormant volcano, Mount Pinatubo, blew its top north of Manila in 1991 in one of the biggest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century, killing hundreds of people.  

President Abdul Hamid on Tuesday received credentials from the new ambassadors of Turkey and the Philippines to Bangladesh in the evening. Press secretary Joynal Abedin briefed the reporters after the meeting.  Ramis Sen of the Republic of Turkey and Leo Tito L. Ausan Jr. of the Republic of the Philippines presented their credentials. Appreciating Bangladesh's ties with the two countries, Hamid urged them to play an important role as envoys particularly to enhance trade and economic relations for mutual benefit. Hamid also hoped that the bilateral relations with the countries will further be expanded during their respective assignments here. Also Read: Prevent corruption in every sector: President to ACC Referring to the losses in the recent earthquakes in Turkey, the President again conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved family members and said Bangladesh would always stay beside the government and people of Turkey at all regional and international platforms as very faithful and old friends in days to come. On the Rohingya issue, the President expressed his gratitude to the Turkish government and its people for their support in this connection. Later, during the meeting with the Philippines ambassador, the President mentioned that the Philippines government and its people provided heartfelt support to the 1971 Liberation War and subsequently it is one of the countries which recognized Bangladesh after the Liberation War at the beginning stage. Terming the bilateral relations between the two countries very excellent, Hamid urged the Philippines government to explore the untapped potential areas in bilateral trade and investment, including pharmaceuticals, agricultural products, light engineering and jute products etc. The two sides can also explore cooperation in disaster management, health care and IT sectors, the President added.  President Hamid also requested the Philippines government to support Bangladesh’s application for ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partnership.  He assured the envoys of his all-out cooperation in discharging their duties in Bangladesh in cementing further Bangladesh relations with the countries. Praising the socio-economic development of Bangladesh, the ambassadors told the President that they would provide their possible all-out cooperation to Bangladesh government during their respective assignments here. Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, secretaries concerned and high officials to the President, among others, were present. Earlier on their arrival at Bangabhaban, a contingent of the horse-mounted President Guard Regiment (PGR) offered the ambassadors guards of honour as part of the ceremony. The national anthems of the respective countries were also played by the army band and the Ambassadors made a round of inspection of the guard of honour.    

Gunmen in military uniforms fatally shot a governor and five civilians on Saturday while the provincial leader was meeting villagers at his home in the central Philippines, in the latest brazen assault on local politicians in the country, police said. At least six men armed with assault rifles and wearing military-style camouflage and bullet-proof vests alighted from three SUVs and opened fire on Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo, hitting him and at least five other people in front of his home in Pamplona town. The province has a history of violent political rivalries. Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo, the wife of the slain governor, said in a Facebook video that the five villagers also died. She demanded justice and said her husband “did not deserve that kind of death. He was serving constituents on a Saturday along with his department heads.” A total of 10 suspects were seen fleeing the scene and later abandoned the SUVs, police said. Police set up security checkpoints and launched a province-wide search for the suspects. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. condemned the mid-morning attack, which took place as impoverished villagers gathered in front of Degamo’s house to seek medical and other aid.“My government will not rest until we have brought the perpetrators of this dastardly and heinous crime to justice,” Marcos said in a statement. Marcos said without elaborating that authorities had gathered “much information and now have a clear direction on how to proceed to bring to justice those behind this killing.” He addressed the mastermind and the killers, saying, “We will find you. If you surrender now it will be your best option.” Degamo’s killing underscores that even local politicians are not immune from high-profile gun violence that has persisted despite the government’s pledge to combat it. Last month, Gov. Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr. of southern Lanao del Sur province was wounded and four of his bodyguards killed in an attack on their convoy. Police said they killed one of the suspects in a clash. In a separate recent attack, unidentified men reportedly wearing police uniforms fired at the van of northern Aparri town Vice Mayor Rommel Alameda, killing him and five companions in northern Nueva Vizcaya province. The suspects remain at large. Crimes, decades-long Muslim and communist rebellions, and other security concerns are some of the major problems inherited by Marcos, who took office in June last year.

The Philippines is in talks with the United States as well as Australia on future joint patrols in the South China Sea, where China's increasingly aggressive actions in the disputed waters are causing concern, top defense officials in the three nations said Wednesday. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called his Philippine counterpart, Carlito Galvez Jr., to reiterate Washington’s support and commitment to help defend its oldest treaty ally in Asia after a Chinese coast guard aimed a military-grade laser at a Philippine patrol vessel near a disputed shoal. The Feb. 6 incident off Second Thomas Shoal briefly blinded some of the Filipino crew and prompted Manila to file a strongly worded diplomatic protest. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also summoned China’s ambassador to express his concern. Also Read: US renews warning it’ll defend Philippines after China spat “The two leaders discussed proposals to deepen operational cooperation and enhance the United States and the Philippines’ shared security, including the recent decision to resume combined maritime activities in the South China Sea,” according to details of the phone conversation provided by Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder. During Austin's visit to Manila this month, Galvez and U.S. officials had said the allies agreed to carry out joint patrols. Separately, Galvez and visiting Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said in a news conference on Wednesday that they were looking at Australian and Philippine forces possibly carrying out their joint patrols in the busy waterway. Also Read: US, Philippines agree on larger American military presence As countries asserting the rule of law, including the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, in the South China Sea, where a bulk of Australia’s trade traverses, “we did talk today about the possibility of exploring joint patrols,” Marles said, without elaborating. Australian and Philippine forces have undertaken joint patrols off the southern Philippines in the past to counter terrorist threats, Galvez said, and added, “We can do it again." Aside from the United States, Australia is the only other country that struck a defense agreement with the Philippines for joint combat exercises in the country. The Philippine Constitution prohibits the permanent basing of foreign troops and their involvement in local combat. Austin announced after meeting Marcos on Feb. 2 that the Philippines had approved an expanded U.S. military presence by allowing rotating batches of U.S. forces to stay in four more Philippine military camps, in addition to five others. It was the latest move by the Biden administration to strengthen an arc of military alliances in the Indo-Pacific to better counter China, including in any future confrontation over Taiwan. Austin reaffirmed in his talk with Galvez on Wednesday the U.S. Defense Department’s “commitment to bolstering the Philippines’ defense capabilities and capacity to resist coercion as the allies develop a security-sector assistance roadmap.” No details of the mutual security plan were immediately provided. China opposes military activities involving the U.S. and its allies, especially in the South China Sea, and has warned Washington not to meddle in what it says is a purely Asian dispute. Chinese forces have protested the presence of U.S. Navy ships and fighter jets that have been enforcing freedom of movement in the contested waters. The U.S. military insists it would exercise its rights under international law to sail and fly in international waters. In Jakarta, visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Wednesday that China would work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which is currently led by Indonesia, to hasten negotiations on a proposed nonaggression pact, which is designed to avoid armed confrontations in the South China Sea. “China and Indonesia will work with other ASEAN countries to … accelerate consultations on a code of conduct in the South China Sea, and jointly maintain the peace and stability in the South China Sea fully and effectively.” Gang said in an online press conference. The highly secretive talks between China and the 10-nation ASEAN, whose four members are locked in territorial conflicts with Beijing over the strategic waterway, have faced years of delay, including during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. China and the regional bloc have agreed to speed up the negotiations this year but it's unclear how they can overcome key differences, including which areas should be covered by the pact and whether the agreement should be legally binding.  

A strong earthquake rocked a central Philippine province on Thursday, sending people out of their homes at night, prompting dozens of patients to be evacuated from a hospital and causing minor damage to a government coliseum and business establishments, officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage from the magnitude 6 quake that was set off by a local fault line at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), about 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) west of the coastal town of Batuan in Masbate province, officials said. The quake struck about two hours after midnight, rousing many people from their sleep, Masbate provincial disaster-mitigation officer Adonis Dilao said. “The first jolt was really strong followed by shaking that woke me up and my baby,” Red Cross officer MJ Oxemer told The Associated Press by telephone from the provincial capital of Masbate city. “We could hear the rumbling of the ground.” Dozens of patients from a Masbate provincial hospital were evacuated but later brought back after the quake caused some cracks in the three-story building. A part of the ceiling on a small government coliseum in Masbate city was also damaged, Dilao said. Cracks were also spotted in the concrete pillars of some business establishments, including grocery and drug stores in Masbate city’s downtown area, and in some houses, Dilao told The AP by telephone. Although business owners have discretion when to reopen, Dilao said they should heed the advice of government safety inspectors because at least two strong aftershocks were felt following the quake. “Unlike typhoons, which can be predicted to give people time to brace, earthquakes can just suddenly hit,” he said. The quake knocked out power in many areas of Masbate and nearby Ticao island, and some school classes were suspended, the Office of Civil Defense said, adding that damage assessments by local officials were underway. The Philippines lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes occur. Each year it is also hit by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries. A magnitude 7.7 quake killed nearly 2,000 people in the northern Philippines in 1990.

The United States and the Philippines announced an agreement Thursday to expand America's military presence in the Southeast Asian country, with U.S. forces granted access to four more Philippine military camps, effectively giving Washington new ground to ramp up deterrence against China. The agreement between the longtime treaty allies under a 2014 defense pact was made public during the visit of U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who has led efforts to strengthen America’s security alliances in Asia amid China’s increasing assertiveness toward Taiwan and in the disputed South China Sea. The allies also said in a joint statement 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 under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, or EDCA. Construction of American facilities in the camps has been underway for years but has been hampered by unspecified local issues. 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. “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. In a televised news conference later 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 one another 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 without elaborating. “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.” Austin and Galvez declined to provide more details on the agreement. The U.S. defense chief said it did not mean the re-establishment of permanent American bases but noted that “it’s a big deal.” 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. China claims the self-ruled island of Taiwan 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. 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. Also Read: Philippines seeks to cleanse police force of drug ties Two of the additional 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. 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 in 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. “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.” The Philippines, Washington’s oldest treaty ally in Asia, 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 returned for large-scale combat exercises with Filipino troops under a 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement and the EDCA pact. The Philippine Constitution prohibits the permanent basing of foreign troops and their involvement in local combat. The EDCA pact allows visiting American forces to indefinitely stay in rotating batches in barracks and other buildings they construct within designated Philippine camps with their defense equipment, except nuclear weapons. 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.” ___ Associated Press journalists Joeal Calupitan in Manila, the Philippines and Kiko Rosario in Bangkok, Thailand contributed to this report.