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August 2023 Second Thomas Shoal Standoff
On August 5, 2023, a China Coast Guard ship blocked a Philippine Coast Guard ship en route to the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed Spratly Islands. Background The Second Thomas Shoal (named ''Ren'ai Jiao'' by China; ''Ayungin Shoal'' by the Philippines) is part of the Spratly Islands which is disputed territory claimed in full or in part by multiple countries including China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. The sea itself is claimed by China under its nine-dash map, nine-dash map line claim. Second Thomas Shoal is occupied by the Philippines, which intentionally grounded the Philippine Navy ship on the shoal in 1999. Incident On August 5, 2023, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine Navy were heading to the Second Thomas Shoal to conduct what it describes as a routine resupply mission for personnel aboard the marooned at the feature. The mission involved two wooden boats of the Philippine Navy; ''Unaizah May 1'' (UM1) and ''Unaizah May ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Territorial Disputes In The South China Sea
Territorial disputes in the South China Sea involve conflicting island and maritime claims in the region by several sovereign states, namely Brunei, the People's Republic of China (PRC), Taiwan (Republic of China/ROC), Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Vietnam. The disputes involve the islands, reefs, banks, and other features of the South China Sea, including the Spratly Islands, Paracel Islands, Scarborough Shoal, and various boundaries in the Gulf of Tonkin. The waters near the Indonesian Natuna Islands, which some regard as geographically part of the South China Sea, are disputed as well. Maritime disputes also extend beyond the South China Sea, as in the case of the Senkaku Islands and the Socotra Rock, which lie in the East China Sea. An estimated US$3.37 trillion worth of global trade passes through the South China Sea annually, which accounts for a third of the global maritime trade. 80 percent of China's energy imports and 39.5 percent of China's total trad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Philippines–United States Relations
The relationship between the United States and the Philippines has historically been strong and has been described as a "special relationship". The former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, however, was supportive of a foreign policy that is less dependent on the United States, favoring one that prioritizes closer relations with China and Russia, although the Philippines and the U.S. have a mutual defense treaty dating from 1951 and are actively working on implementation of an enhanced defense cooperation agreement concluded in 2014. The Philippines is one of the oldest Asian partners of the United States and a strategically major non-NATO ally. The United States was consistently ranked as one of the Philippines' favorite nations in the world, with 90% of Filipinos viewing the U.S. and 91% viewing Americans favorably in 2002, 90% of Filipinos viewing U.S. influence positively in 2011, 85% of Filipinos viewing the U.S. and Americans favorably in 2013, and 92% of Filipinos viewi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2023 In The Philippines
2023 in the Philippines details notable events that occurred in the Philippines in 2023. On July 21, 2023, President Bongbong Marcos announced that the government will formally lift the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, COVID-19 state of public health emergency, marking the end of the three years of the pandemic. The emergency was officially lifted the following day. Incumbents * President of the Philippines, President: Bongbong Marcos (Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, PFP) * Vice President of the Philippines, Vice President: Sara Duterte (Independent (politician), Independent) * Philippine Congress, Congress (19th Congress of the Philippines, 19th): ** Senate of the Philippines, Senate President: Migz Zubiri (Independent (politician), Independent) ** House of Representatives of the Philippines, House Speaker: Martin Romualdez (Lakas-CMD) * Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, Chief Justice: Alexander Gesmundo Ongoing events * COVID-19 pandemic in the Phi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Second Thomas Shoal Laser Incident
On February 6, 2023, the China Coast Guard and Philippine Coast Guard had an encounter near the Second Thomas Shoal, one of the features of the Spratly Islands which is subject to a wider South China Sea dispute, dispute in the South China Sea. The Second Thomas Shoal is claimed by multiple countries, including China and the Philippines. The latter controls the feature by having grounded the BRP Sierra Madre, BRP ''Sierra Madre'' on the shoal. The BRP Malapascua (MRRV-4403), BRP ''Malapascua'' of the Philippine Coast Guard was heading towards the shoal for a rotation and resupply mission for the BRP ''Sierra Madre'' crew when CCG 5205 of the China Coast Guard blocked the Filipino coast guard ship to act what it views as an intrusion of the Philippine vessel and aimed a green laser light towards it. The Philippine side alleged the laser was "military grade" and caused its crew to suffer from temporary blindness, which China denies. The incident led to the Philippines filing a dipl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Antonio Carpio
Antonio Tirol Carpio (; born October 26, 1949) is a former associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He was sworn in as member of the High Court by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on October 26, 2001, and served until his retirement on October 26, 2019. He served as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines for a period of eighteen (18) years. He also served as chief justice in an acting capacity at least three separate times during his tenure as Senior Associate Justice. Profile Born in Davao City to Bernardo Dumlao Carpio and Sol Gonzales Tirol, Carpio finished his elementary and secondary education at the Ateneo de Davao University. He obtained his undergraduate degree in Economics from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1970 and his law degree from the University of the Philippines College of Law at UP Diliman where he graduated valedictorian and cum laude in 1975. He ranked sixth with a rating of 85.70% in the 1975 Philippine ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Security Council (Philippines)
The National Security Council (NSC; fil, Sanggunian sa Pambansang Seguridad) is the principal forum of the president of the Philippines considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and cabinet officials. The NSC consists of two distinct bodies – the Council Proper and the National Security Council Secretariat. The council proper is a collegial body chaired by the President. It includes concerned officials of the Cabinet and Congress, as members, as well as other government officials and private citizens who may be invited by the president. The council was created during the Quirino Administration through Executive Order (EO) No. 330, dated July 1, 1950. It was reorganized by virtue of EO No. 115, series of 1986. The NSC secretariat is a permanent body that provides technical support to the council proper. It is headed by the Director-General and the National Security Adviser. History Commonwealth Act No. 1 is the orig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, House Deputy Speakers since 2022, and previously from 2016 to 2017. She previously served as the List of presidents of the Philippines, 14th president of the Philippines from 2001 until 2010. She is the longest serving president of the Philippines since Ferdinand Marcos. Before her accession to the presidency, she served as the List of vice presidents of the Philippines, 10th vice president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001 under President Joseph Estrada, making her the country's first female vice president, despite having run on an opposing ticket. She was also a Senate of the Philippines, senator from 1992 to 1998. After her presidency, she was elected as the House of Representatives of the Philippines, representative of Pampanga's Pampanga's 2nd cong ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orly Mercado
Orlando Sanchez Mercado (, born Orlando Mercado y Sanchez; April 26, 1946), better known as Orly Mercado, is a Filipino politician and broadcast journalist best known for having served as a senator of the Philippines from 1987 to 1998, Secretary of Defense from 1998 to 2001, and for his long career as a broadcast journalist, most famously for hosting the television program ''Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko''. Career Early career and Martial Law Imprisonment Mercadio's career in Radio broadcasting began when he got a job as Disc Jockey for the program ''Night Life'' on Manila FM Station DZXX. He then became an ABS-CBN journalist in 1969, taking on roles as a reporter for ''The World Tonight'', and for the ''Radyo Patrol'' show on ABS CBN's sister radio station DZAQ (now DZMM). He was the head and anchor of the popular radio program ''Radyo Patrol'' of ABS-CBN from 1969 to 1971 as well as the field reporter for pre-Martial Law days in ''The World Tonight''. Upon Marcos' Proclamation No ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joseph Estrada
Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998, and the 21st mayor of the City of Manila, the country's capital, from 2013 to 2019. In 2001, he became the first chief executive in Asia to be formally impeached and resigned from power. At the age of 85, he is currently the oldest living former Philippine President. Estrada gained popularity as a film actor, playing the lead role in over a hundred films in an acting career spanning some three decades. He also worked as a model, beginning as a fashion and ramp model at the age of 13. He used his popularity as an actor to make gains in politics, serving as mayor of San Juan from 1969 to 1986, as senator from 1987 to 1992, then as vice president under President Fidel V. Ramos from 1992 to 1998. E ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Presidency Of Joseph Estrada
The presidency of Joseph Estrada, also known as the Estrada administration, spanned 31 months from June 30, 1998, to January 20, 2001. Estrada was elected president of the Philippines in the May 11, 1998 national elections, receiving almost 11 million votes. Estrada campaigned on a pro-poor platform. He ordered the removal of all sovereign guarantees on contracts for public projects which would require the sovereign Filipino people to assume the financial losses of private companies doing business with the government. He made efforts to clean the bureaucracy by ordering the immediate relief of corrupt officials in the military and police hierarchy. He ordered a wide-ranging investigation of all government contracts entered into by the previous administration to ensure these were above-board and directly advantageous to the citizenry. He also ordered the investigation of suspected big-time tax evaders including individuals who had contributed to his presidential campaign. He un ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
JV Ejercito
Joseph Victor Gomez Ejercito (; born December 26, 1969), also known as JV Ejercito Estrada or simply JV Ejercito, is a Filipino politician and businessman serving as a Senator since 2022 and previously from 2013 to 2019. He had also served as the representative of San Juan from 2010 to 2013 and was the city's mayor from 2001 to 2010. He is a son of former president Joseph Estrada, and a half-brother of Senator Jinggoy Estrada. Ejercito credits himself as the author of the Universal Health Care Act of the Philippines. Early life Joseph Victor "JV" G. Ejercito was born December 26, 1969 in Manila to actor Joseph Ejercito Estrada, the then Mayor-elect of San Juan (then a municipality of Rizal), and businesswoman and fellow celebrity Guia Gomez. Education He attended Xavier School for his primary and secondary education and completed his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at the De La Salle University. Political career San Juan mayor Ejercito served as mayor of San ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jinggoy Estrada
Jose Pimentel Ejercito Jr. (; born February 17, 1963), also known as Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada or simply Jinggoy Estrada, is a Filipino politician, film actor, and producer serving as a Senator since 2022, and previously from 2004 to 2016. He was the president pro tempore of the Senate from 2007 to 2013, and as such, became the acting Senate President for the 47 days in 2013 between Juan Ponce Enrile's resignation and Franklin Drilon's election as the new Senate President. Before serving in the Senate, he was the vice mayor (1988–1992) and later mayor (1992–2001) of San Juan, Metro Manila. Estrada has been detained twice for corruption charges. In 2001, he and his father, ousted president Joseph Estrada, were arrested after being charged with plunder. He was released in 2003, elected to the Senate in 2004, and was acquitted in 2007. In 2014, he was charged and detained for allegedly embezzling from his discretionary funds in a scandal known as the pork barrel scam. In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
