Philippines

Earthquake of 4.5 magnitude hits Litayan in Philippines, says USGS

The earthquake occurred at 02:43:27 (UTC+05:30) and hit Litayan, Philippines on Tuesday, at a depth of 592.5 km, the USGS informed

RBI rejects Bajaj Fin's plan for Philippines operations over FATF concerns

Philippines has been increasingly coming under the lens of the Financial Action Task Force, and has already been designated as an FATF grey list country

Earthquake of magnitude 6 hits Philippines, no damage or casualty reported

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6 rocked the Philippines on Thursday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said

Digital lending firm Lentra enters Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam

Company aims to reach $100 mn in annual recurring revenue by March 2024 in South East Asia nations

Piaggio Vehicles announces entry of Ape Electrik 3-wheeler in Philippines

Piaggio Vehicles Pvt Ltd (PVPL), the Indian subsidiary of Italian auto major Piaggio Group, on Tuesday announced the entry of its electric three-wheeler Ape Electrik in the Philippines for last-mile mobility. The electric three-wheeler will be manufactured at PVPL's Baramati manufacturing facility in Maharashtra. "For Piaggio Vehicles, entry into the Philippines is a stepping-stone towards accelerating the adoption of EVs across the world and towards a sustainable planet. "We see huge export potential to the market and also aim to meaningfully contribute to their EV ambitions," said Diego Graffi, Chairman and Managing Director, Piaggio Vehicles Pvt Ltd. These vehicles will be powered by the SUN Mobility's advanced battery-swapping technology. To be available in the Philippines through a subsidiary of Rusco Motors Inc, the vehicle will be the country's first electric three-wheeler for last-mile mobility, it said. SUN Mobility has further strengthened its association with Piaggio a

Onions turn 'currency' in Philippines for a day for food bank programme

A retail store in the Philippines accepted onions as "payment" for select in-store items as part of an onion-raising drive for a "community pantry" or food bank project

Philippine Supreme Court voids oil exploration pact involving China

The Philippine Supreme Court on Tuesday declared unconstitutional a 2005 pact by China, the Philippines and Vietnam to jointly explore for oil in the disputed South China Sea, a decision that also brings other proposed agreements into doubt. The decision by 12 of the court's 15 justices voided the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking agreement by state-owned companies in the three nations, which are among Asian countries locked in decades-long territorial disputes in the busy waterway. Two justices dissented and one was on leave and did not vote. The court did not immediately make public the full decision and only released highlights in a statement. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who took office in June last year, expressed willingness to revive failed negotiations for joint oil exploration with China in a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Beijing last week. The court ruled that the 2005 agreement violated the constitution by allowing the state-owned oil companies o

Philippines inflation rate rose to 8.1% in December 2022: Reports

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said faster food inflation is driven by higher prices of vegetables

Massive floods in Philippines leave 51 dead, over a dozen missing

The death toll in the massive floods that devastated parts of the Philippines over the Christmas weekend has climbed to 51, with 19 others missing, the national disaster response agency said Monday, as affected residents struggle to get back on their feet. Photos on social media showed residents in Misamis Occidental province in Northern Mindanao sweeping away thick mud from the floors of their homes. In the seaside village of Cabol-anonan, coconut trees were uprooted and huts made of light material were nearly flattened. The Northern Mindanao region in the south bore the brunt of the disaster, reporting 25 deaths, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Most of the deaths were from drowning and landslides, and among the missing were fishermen whose boats capsized. Floods have subsided in most of the areas hit by bad weather that disrupted Christmas celebrations in the eastern, central and southern Philippines. But over 8,600 of the nearly 600,000 .

Philippines President Marcos seeks agreements in China amid tensions

The Philippines says President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. hopes to sign a number of agreements during a visit to Beijing next week that comes amid ongoing territorial disputes in the South China Sea. A statement from the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said a number of projects were under discussion, including in agriculture, renewable energy, nickel processing, tourism, and bridge construction. Marcos is due to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during his January 3-5 visit at the head of a large business delegation. China accounts for 20 per cent of the Philippines' foreign trade and is also a major source of foreign direct investment. Despite those economic ties, the sides have repeatedly feuded over China's claims to islands and waters in the strategically key South China Sea, referred to by Manila as the West Philippine Sea. During the visit, the sides plan to sign an agreement to boost communication between diplomats at various levels to avoid miscalculation

Heavy rains, floods in Philippines leave 32 dead, 24 people missing

Heavy rains and floods that devastated parts of the Philippines over the Christmas weekend have left at least 32 dead and 24 missing, the national disaster response agency said on Thursday. More than 56,000 people were still in emergency shelters after bad weather disrupted Christmas celebrations in the eastern, central and southern Philippines. Images from the southern province of Misamis Occidental showed rescuers carrying an elderly woman on a plastic chair as they waded through a flooded street. Some residents in the province were seen hanging on to floaters as coast guard rescuers pulled them across chest-deep floods using a rope. Eighteen of the 32 deaths were reported in the Northern Mindanao region, while 22 of the 24 missing were from Eastern Visayas in the central Philippines and the eastern Bicol region, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said. Most of the deaths were from drowning while among the missing were fishermen whose boats capsized, the

VP Kamala Harris to visit and support Philippines island amid sea feud

Vice President Kamala Harris would underscore America's commitment to defending treaty ally the Philippines with a visit that starts Sunday and involves flying to an island province facing the disputed South China Sea, where Washington has accused China of bullying smaller claimant nations. After attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Thailand, Harris will fly to Manila Sunday night to meet President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the next day for talks aimed at reinforcing Washington's oldest treaty alliance in Asia and strengthening economic ties, a senior US administration official said in an online briefing ahead of the visit. On Tuesday she'll fly to Palawan province, which lies along the South China Sea, to meet local fishermen, villagers, officials and the coast guard. She is the highest-ranking US leader so far to visit the frontier island at the forefront of the long-seething territorial disputes involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and ...

World Bank warns of heavy toll on Philippines due to climate change

Climate shocks, whether in the form of extreme weather events or slow-onset trends, will hamper economic activities, damage infrastructure, and induce deep social disruptions, the report said

Nearly 100 dead, dozens missing in storm-ravaged Philippines: Official

Nearly 100 people have died in one of the most destructive storms to lash the Philippines this year with dozens more feared missing after villagers fled in the wrong direction and got buried in a boulder-laden mud slide, while more than a million others were swamped by floodwater in several provinces, officials said Monday. At least 53 of 98 people who died mostly in flooding and landslides were from Maguindanao in the Bangsamoro autonomous region, which was swamped by unusually heavy rains set off by Tropical Storm Nalgae. The storm blew out of the country and into the South China Sea on Sunday, leaving a trail of destruction in a large swath of the archipelago. A large contingent of rescuers with bulldozers and backhoes resumed retrieval work in southern Kusiong village in the hard-hit province of Maguindanao, where as many as 80 to 100 people, including entire families, are feared to have been buried by a boulder-laden mudslide or swept away by flash floods that started overnig

47 dead, dozens feared missing as storm lashes parts of Philippines

Flash floods and landslides set off by torrential rains left at least 47 people dead, including in a hard-hit southern Philippine province, where as many as 60 villagers are feared missing and buried in a deluge of rainwater, mud, rocks and trees, officials said Saturday. At least 42 people were swept away by rampaging floodwaters and drowned or were hit by debris-filled mudslides in three towns in Maguindanao province from Thursday night to early Friday, said Naguib Sinarimbo, the interior minister for a five-province Muslim autonomous region run by former separatist guerrillas. Five other people died elsewhere from the onslaught of Tropical Storm Nalgae, which slammed into the eastern province of Camarines Sur early Saturday, the government's disaster-response agency said. But the worst storm impact so far was a mudslide laden with rainwater, rocks and trees that buried dozens of houses with as many as 60 people in the tribal village of Kusiong in Maguindanao's Datu Odin Sinsuat .

Strong earthquake injures dozens in northern Philippines, shuts airport

A strong earthquake rocked a large swathe of the northern Philippines, injuring at least 26 people and forcing the closure of an international airport and the evacuation of patients in a hospital, officials said Wednesday. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said Tuesday night's magnitude 6.4 quake, which was set off by movement in a local fault, was centred 9 km (5 miles) northwest of Lagayan town in Abra province at a depth of 11 km (7 miles). The US Tsunami Warning System said no warning or advisory was issued. The quake was felt across a wide area of the main northern Luzon region, including in some parts of metropolitan Manila, more than 400 km (248 miles) south of Abra. At least 26 people were injured in Ilocos Norte, the home province of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, where the international airport in the capital city of Laoag was ordered to close temporarily Wednesday due to damage from the quake, police and civil aviation officials said. In Batac city

6.7-magnitude earthquake hits northern Philippines; damage expected

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.7 jolted northern Philippines on Tuesday night, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said, adding that it might cause damage.

Russia asks Philippines to honour purchase deal of 16 military helicopters

Russia wants the Philippine government to honour a signed contract to purchase 16 military heavy-lift helicopters, which the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte had cancelled due to fears of possible US sanctions. Moscow's ambassador to Manila, Marat Pavlov, told reporters on Wednesday night that the Philippine government has not officially notified Russia of its decision to cancel the deal and a Russian company was proceeding to manufacture the Mi-17 helicopters after the Philippines made an initial payment. Filipino pilots, who would operate the helicopters, have undergone Russian training, he said. The Russian aircraft manufacturer was ready to deliver one of the helicopters in June but unfortunately, it was not accepted by your government, the ambassador said. We are ready to fulfill all our obligations as a reliable partner of the Philippine side in the field of technical military cooperation and we consider that it will also be done by the Philippines, Pavlov .

Typhoon Noru leaves 5 dead; causes floods, power outages in Philippines

Typhoon Noru blew out of the northern Philippines on Monday, leaving five rescuers dead, causing floods and power outages and forcing officials to suspend classes and government work in the capital and outlying provinces. The most powerful typhoon to hit the country this year slammed into the coast in Burdeos town in Quezon province before nightfall on Sunday then weakened as it barrelled overnight across the main Luzon region, where thousands of people were moved to emergency shelters, some forcibly, officials said. Governor Daniel Fernando of Bulacan province, north of Manila, said five rescuers, who were using a boat to help residents trapped in floodwaters, were hit by a collapsed wall then apparently drowned in the rampaging waters. They were living heroes who were helping save the lives of our countrymen amid this calamity, Fernando told DZMM radio network. This is really very sad. On Polillo island in northeastern Quezon province, a man was injured after falling off the roof

Philippines on red alert, braces up for super typhoon Noru: Report

Authorities in the Philippines were on high alert as Noru began to blast through the country's eastern islands on a path toward its main Luzon island, reported CNN.