By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter THE PHILIPPINES has given the United States greater access to its military bases, their defense chiefs said on Thursday, amid mounting concern over China’s increasing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea and tension over self-ruled Taiwan. The US would be given access to four more locations under the […]
Tag: military
Groups slam Senate for lack of youth reps in mandatory ROTC hearing
YOUTH GROUPS on Wednesday condemned the exclusion of representation from their sector in Senate deliberations on the proposed revival of mandatory military training among tertiary level students. They lambasted in particular Senator Ronald M. Dela Rosa, who chaired the meeting, calling him “cunning” for refusing to hear the youth’s stance on the plan to reinstate […]
Marcos appoints new DND secretary amid coup rumors
PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has appointed a new Department of National Defense (DND) secretary, the presidential palace said on Monday, amid rumors of destabilization plots. Carlito G. Galvez, Jr., the presidential adviser on peace, will replace Jose Faustino, Jr., who quit. The palace did not say why. Mr. Marcos in June appointed Mr. […]
US warship sails through sensitive Taiwan Strait; China angered
WASHINGTON – A US warship sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Thursday, part of what the US military calls routine activity but which has riled China. In recent years, US warships, and on occasion those from allied nations such as Britain and Canada, have sailed through the strait, drawing the ire of China, which claims Taiwan against the objections of its democratically elected government. In a statement, the US military said the […]
PHL, Japan, US military chiefs meet in Japan
A JOINT meeting among the chiefs of the military land forces of the Philippines, United States and Japan was held for the first time on Dec. 11 at the Asaka Station in Japan, according to a statement released by the Japanese Embassy on Tuesday. The leaders who attended the meeting included Philippine Army Commanding General […]
Forced military training costly, adverse to critical thinking — students
STUDENT groups on Monday signed a unity statement against the proposed mandatory military training at the tertiary level, citing its adverse impact on critical thinking and the additional financial costs that it entails. “This is still a form of campus militarization. We know that this act of providing a new face to the mandatory ROTC […]
Japan lawmaker in Taiwan says China’s threat needs higher military spending
TAIPEI — Japan needs to increase its military spending in the face of the “grim reality” of the threat from China and North Korea, a senior member of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) said on Sunday during a visit to Taiwan. Although Chinese-claimed and democratically governed Taiwan and Japan do not have formal diplomatic […]
Student group slams mandatory ROTC push
THE COLLEGE Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) on Wednesday rejected a bill that would make military training mandatory in tertiary schools and disguising that intent by using the term National Citizens Service Training Program (NCSTP). In a statement, the alliance of collegiate student publications said the measure is a “hidden push” for the Reserve […]
Weapons industry booms as Eastern Europe arms Ukraine
PRAGUE/WARSAW — Eastern Europe’s arms industry is churning out guns, artillery shells and other military supplies at a pace not seen since the Cold War as governments in the region lead efforts to aid Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Allies have been supplying Kyiv with weapons and military equipment since Russia invaded its neighbour […]
US seeks deeper sea defense ties with Philippines
THE UNITED States wants to enhance joint maritime defense activities with the Philippines to keep the waters “safe,” the US Embassy in Manila said on Monday. “Whatever we can do, military to military or people to people, that ensures that we secure our territorial integrity and that we make our waters safe is what we’re […]
N. Korea fires missile, flies warplanes near border as South imposes sanctions
SEOUL — North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast on Friday, South Korea’s military said, the latest in a series of launches by the nuclear-armed country amid heightened tensions. South Korea also scrambled fighter jets when a group of about 10 North Korean military aircraft flew close to […]
Taiwan accuses China of ‘tricks’ with military footage of islands
TAIPEI — Taiwan accused China of exaggeration on Tuesday after the Chinese military published footage of the strategically located Penghu islands, where there is a major Taiwanese air base, saying it was not true Chinese forces had come near the islands. China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, has carried out military exercises around the […]
China warns top US general off ‘arbitrary provocations’
WASHINGTON/BEIJING — A senior Chinese military officer warned his US counterpart on Thursday that any “arbitrary provocations” would be met with a “firm counterstrike” by China, but added that the two sides should strengthen dialogue and control risks. The world’s two largest economies are at loggerheads over a series of contentious issues, from the status […]
BTS rekindles debate about military service in South Korea
SEOUL — A surprise decision by South Korean boy band BTS to take a break from live shows has rekindled debate about mandatory military service in a country setting global pop-culture trends while facing a decades old Cold War threat. Military service is hugely contentious in South Korea where all able-bodied men aged between 18 […]
Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra raises $900,000 for military by auctioning Eurovision trophy
Kalush — PHOTO FROM INSTAGRAM.COM/KALUSH.OFFICIAL UKRAINE’s Kalush Orchestra, which won the Eurovision Song Contest earlier this month, raised $900,000 for the country’s military battling the Russian invasion by selling the contest’s trophy. The group won Eurovision with their entry “Stefania,” surfing a wave of public support to claim an emotional victory that was welcomed by […]
2K police, military personnel in CV to be deployed for May 9 polls
MORE than 2,000 police and military personnel will be assigned in various areas in Central Visayas to provide security to voters during the national and local 2022 polls on Monday, May 9, 2022.Local police, military personnel and even personnel from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) were given a proper “send-off ceremony” by their commanding officers […]
Ukraine’s president vows to stay put as Russian invaders approach
Russia launched its invasion by land, air, and sea on Thursday following a declaration of war by President Vladimir Putin. An estimated 100,000 people fled as explosions and gunfire rocked major cities. Dozens have been reported killed. US and Ukrainian officials say Russia aims to capture Kyiv and topple the government, which Putin regards as […]
UK’s embattled Prince Andrew loses honorary military titles
LONDON — Prince Andrew has been stripped of his honorary military roles as the growing furor over allegations that he sexually abused a teenage girl trafficked by the late financie…
GSIS deemed stable despite AFP pension risk
The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) remains stable despite risks posed by military pension liabilities, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez, III said. “The GSIS is not in any danger of not floating,” Mr. Dominguez said in a Viber message to reporters. “As chief financial officer of the government, it is my duty to clearly define […]
Military rules out foul play in crash of C-130 aircraft
THE ARMED Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has ruled out a rebel attack by in the crash of a military C-130 plane on Sunday that killed 50 people. There was no evidence of foul play, military spokesman Edgard A. Arevalo told CNN Philippines on Monday. He added that the plane crashed after missing the runway […]