It starts with Sabah, a lingering wound in Southeast Asian geopolitics. Long claimed by the Philippines and governed by Malaysia, the dispute has flared up again. In 2025, President Marcos Jr. reignited the claim, echoing Duterte’s words: “Sabah is ours. That is historical.” Malaysia fired back. PM Anwar Ibrahim declared: “Sabah will never be part…
The Philippines just made a bold move that’s making waves across Asia. In a deal announced this week, Manila confirmed it will purchase six advanced patrol warships from Japan, a move aimed at modernizing its naval fleet amid rising tensions in the West Philippine Sea. These new multi-role response ships, to be built by Mitsubishi…
They say the most dangerous battles aren’t always fought on massive battlefields but on forgotten pieces of land surrounded by water. Now imagine this: a tiny island, no bigger than a small village, floating in turquoise seas. It has no skyscrapers, no crowds, not even traffic. Just palm trees, coral reefs and a military garrison…
What if I told you the greatest threat to Southeast Asia isn’t war, but silence? Imagine you’re part of a team built on promises of unity and protection. Now imagine being attacked, while your teammates stand back and say nothing. That’s how many in the Philippines feel about ASEAN. As China escalates aggression in the…
This isn’t just about planes, it’s about power.” In a move that’s sending shockwaves across the Indo-Pacific, the United States has deployed F-35 stealth fighter jets and the Typhon Mid-Range Capability (MRC) missile system to the Philippines, for the first time ever. It’s not just a military maneuver; it’s a clear signal that Washington is…
Malampaya is dying, and with it, a key pillar of our energy security. For over two decades, this offshore gas field has powered nearly 20% of Luzon’s electricity, providing vital fuel for gas plants that help keep the lights on in Metro Manila. But the Department of Energy (DOE), as cited by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian…
The external threat now has become more pronounced, more worrisome.” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., February 2025 Something’s changing in the Pacific and fast. Not long ago, the Philippines was focused inward. Its soldiers chased insurgents in the jungles of Mindanao. Coast guards cracked down on pirates and smugglers in the southern seas. Disaster relief was…
You wake up early, head to work, try to save a little, maybe dream about buying a home or starting a family. But the dream keeps slipping further away. You’re doing everything right, why does it feel like everything is going wrong? Your rent just jumped again. The grocery bill stings. You can’t find a…
What if your backyard, your oceans, your islands, your home, was being watched by a foreign power, every single day? Not with bullets or bombs, but with silent ships, unmanned drones, and radar signals that never sleep. Welcome to the Philippines in 2025, a tropical paradise caught in the crosshairs of one of the most…
It’s not just another carrier docking, it’s a global message. That’s how a U.S. Navy officer summed it up as the USS George Washington, a 100,000-ton symbol of American naval dominance, sailed into Manila Bay, drawing the eyes of both allies and rivals across the Indo-Pacific. On the shoreline, Filipino fishermen watched silently as the…
