Free Republic

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines may receive grants amounting to $433 million from the United States’ Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC) starting next year owing to apparent improvements in governance and other key indicators. In a report released last Wednesday, the MCC included the Philippines in a list of candidate-countries under the “low income” category eligible to receive assistance for 2018. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III welcomed the development. But should the MCC decide to push through with the grant­, he said the Philippine government would still need to go over the conditions set by the agency under the compact and...

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte called himself a "humble friend" of the United States on Monday, taking a break from his notorious hostility towards Washington to grant a warm reception to visiting U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Duterte's often profanity-laden tirades against the United States has become his trademark during his year-old presidency, but he appeared happy to meet Tillerson, who was in Manila to attend a regional security meeting dominated by North Korea's missile tests, and maritime squabbles. "I am happy to see you ... and you have come at a time when the world is...

With all of the unrest going on in other parts of the world this summer (North Korea, Venezuela, Turkey, Syria, etc.), it’s not too surprising if we miss some of the stories coming out of the Philippines. But they’ve got their own share of troubles to worry about. Their new president has been raising eyebrows around the world with his war on drugs, which sometimes entails killing the occasional mayor of a smaller city, as well as some external threats as well. But they remain one of our allies, at least for now, and you take your friends where...

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has fired back at US senators who criticized abuses during his ‘war on drugs.’ While the US lawmakers opposed any possible trip by Duterte to America, the leader said he had no intention of visiting the “lousy” country. “There will never be a time that I will go to America during my term, or even thereafter,” Duterte said on Friday, as quoted by Reuters. The Philippine leader was also surprised that the senators would think he was willing to go to the US. “I've seen America and it's lousy,” Duterte said.

The only word I find for it is cloddish. I refer to the latest CIA-instigated attempt to initiate regime change against outspoken Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. The so-called ISIS terror attack in the minerals-rich southern Philippines island of Mindanao, a predominately Muslim part of the mostly Christian nation of 100 million people, took place literally in the midst of President Duterte’s talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Duterte-Putin talks in turn followed Duterte’s attendance in Beijing on May 15 for the first New Silk Road or Belt Road Forum. America’s colonial asset since 1898 was clearly walking...

The Embraer Super Tucano is the sole compliant bidder for a Philippines Air Force (PAF) requirement for a new close air support (CAS) aircraft. The PAF has prioritized CAS and air to ground munitions procurement as a result of the takeover by Muslim extremist insurgents of the city of Marawi on the southern island of Mindanao. An Embraer spokesperson said the company is committed to fulfilling the requirement. The PAF is seeking six aircraft for CAS to complement, and eventually replace its aging fleet of OV-10 Bronco twin turboprops. The Broncos have recently flown missions over Marawi, dropping 500-pound Mk...

MANILA, June 28 (Reuters) - A Philippine government panel led by President Rodrigo Duterte has approved 305.64 billion pesos ($6.05 billion) worth of infrastructure projects aimed at spurring one of Asia's fastest growing economies. The Southeast Asian country is boosting infrastructure spending to create jobs, lift economic growth to as much as 8 percent, and attract foreign investors turned off by high power prices and transport bottlenecks. The biggest project approved for bidding and construction was the 211-billion pesos railway project north of the capital Manila that will be funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency, Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia...

Full title.......................'What was your reaction when your father was f***ing Monica Lewinsky?' Philippines president Duterte hits back at Chelsea Clinton after she criticised his 'joke' about troops raping women............................... Rodrigo Duterte on Friday told his soldiers they could rape up to three women Chelsea Clinton, daughter of ex-US President Bill Clinton, hit out at the remark Duterte said he was being sarcastic when he made widely-criticized comment He hit out at Chelsea, asking: 'when your father, the president of the United States, was f***ing Lewinsky and the girls in the White House, how did you feel?

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has sought to reassure soldiers who might be accused of committing abuses under martial law, and jokingly said that if any of them were to rape three women, he would personally claim responsibility for it. "I'll imprison you myself," he said, referring to any soldiers who commit violations, then he joked: "If you had raped three, I will admit it, that's on me." Duterte made the remark in a speech to soldiers on Mindanao island, where he imposed martial law on Tuesday to try to crush Daesh-linked rebels, who have been battling the military after laying...

MANILA– The Philippines has become the first nation in Asia to have one of its cities fall to the international terror group Daesh (ISIS). Clashes between militants and Filipino security forces began Monday night in the southern city of Marawi, as the government raided a home where the leader of the local branch of Daesh, Isnilon Hapilon, was believed to be hiding. Hundreds of gunmen descended upon the city following the raid, including Daesh forces and members of militant groups that have pledged allegiance to Daesh, including Maute and Abu Sayyaf. Abu Sayyaf also shares links to al-Qaeda – an...

MANILA — Since winning the presidency a year ago, the words “martial law” have rarely been far from Rodrigo Duterte’s lips. Amid calls to “slaughter” criminal suspects, the Philippine president has often mused about the possibility of declaring it, casting himself as a reluctant savior, the strongman who does not want to take charge — but would. On Tuesday evening, after clashes between security forces and Islamist insurgents left three dead, he fulfilled his own prediction, declaring martial law across a vast swath of the southern Philippines. On Wednesday, he said the law would be as “harsh” as it was...

Last month Donald Trump spoke by phone with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and was widely criticized by members of both parties for inviting the strongman to meet with him in the White House. The Intercept obtained a transcript of the call and is publishing it in full. On the call, Trump enthusiastically endorsed Duterte’s murderous “drug war” and repeatedly addressed the possibility of a U.S. nuclear strike on North Korea. The transcript, which contains numerous typographical errors, is an official document of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. Well-placed sources at the Palace and the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed its authenticity to reporters for...

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law on the southern island of Mindanao Tuesday. Duterte, who was on a trip to Russia to meet with Vladimir Putin, will cut his trip short and return home. Duterte’s action was prompted by a chaotic battle between Philippine security forces and a group linked to ISIS. From the Associated Press: Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said troops raided the hideout of a top terrorist suspect in southern Marawi city on Tuesday, sparking a gunbattle that prompted the militants to call for reinforcements from an allied group, the Maute. He said dozens of gunmen occupied...

‘US, EU Kill People Under Guise of Human Rights Concerns’ – President Duterte Video and Transcript“There’s not even a whimper” when powerful nations bomb civilians or “invent” WMDs to invade other countries, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte told RT, arguing that the West pretends to care about human rights only when it suits its agenda.The Philippines leader sat down to speak with RT’s Maria Finoshina ahead of his five-day visit to Moscow that is kicking off on Monday (yesterday 22nd May). Maria Finoshina: Mr. President, it has been almost a year since your inauguration. Have you faced anything that you...

Deadly clashes erupted between government troops and Islamist militants Tuesday in the southern city of Marawi, prompting Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law there and the rest of the island of Mindanao, the state-run Philippines News Agency reported. Duterte is cutting short an official visit to Moscow because of the clashes, PNA reported. Martial law will be in effect on the Muslim-majority southern Philippines island for 60 days "to suppress lawless violence and rebellion and for public safety, Duterte spokesman Ernesto Abella said, according to PNA. Clashes between government forces and the Maute group, an Islamist militant organization...

Manila (AFP) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Friday China's leaders told him they were prepared to go to war over competing claims in the South China Sea. Duterte, who met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing this week, said he was making the threat public in response to domestic criticism he was being too weak with China over the dispute. "I really said it to their face. That is ours and we intend to drill oil there," Duterte said, revealing his previously unreported plans to explore for natural resources in disputed areas. "And they...

Trump's invite should be viewed in light of the U.S.'s decline, the group said, calling on the government to make a clean break with U.S. imperialism. U.S. President Donald Trump's invitation for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to visit the White House was immediately met with strong disapproval from beltway politicians and mainstream media outlets. Concerned about maintaining the U.S. head of state's dubious role and threadbare image as a human rights leader, they argued that the invitation would dignify the “strongman” and his brutal war on drugs. “The president doesn't appear to have used this opportunity to raise any concerns...

Police in the Philippines defended the country's ongoing and deadly war on drugs Tuesday as they accused the international media of overstating death tolls. The new data release comes amid widespread shock over US President Donald Trump's decision to invite Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to the White House, with many critics pointing to Duterte's deadly drug war. In an elaborately planned, three-hour forum in an upscale Manila hotel, officials said 2,679 suspected drug users and dealers died during legitimate police operations between July 1 and January 30. An additional 1,847 deaths between July 1 and March 31 are believed to...

I realize it’s important to fill up your dance card, but this is looking rather grim. Only yesterday Allahpundit was left scratching his head over the fact that President Trump had extended an invitation to Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to come visit the White House. Given that the guy has openly admitted to committing murder and is looking forward to more of the same, it’s cast a bit of a pall over things. But for the record, Duterte hasn’t actually accepted the invite yet, saying he might be busy on those dates with some other international travel. Perhaps as...

President Trump invited controversial President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines to the White House without consulting the State Department, according to a new report from the New York Times. The Times reported Sunday that both the National Security Council and the State Department were caught off guard by the announcement, which set off criticism from human rights groups. “By essentially endorsing Duterte’s murderous war on drugs, Trump is now morally complicit in future killings,” John Sifton of Human Rights Watch told the Times. Trump and Duterte spoke by phone Saturday, when Trump invited the leader to the White House "to...