News

China, ASEAN agree on sea code draft framework

Christian Shepherd and Manuel Mogato, Reuters
Updated as of Aug 06 10:22 PM

(UPDATED) Foreign ministers of Southeast Asia and China adopted on Sunday a negotiating framework for a code of conduct in the South China Sea, a move they hailed as progress but seen by critics as tactic to buy China time to consolidate its maritime power. Read more »

ASEAN communique stalls amid disagreement on S. China Sea stance

Manuel Mogato, Reuters
Updated as of Aug 06 09:16 PM

Southeast Asian foreign ministers failed to release a customary communique at the end of a high-level meeting on Saturday after what diplomats said was a lack of consensus about how to refer to disputes in the South China Sea. Read more »

China 'coordinating with U.S.' in South China Sea search for sailor

Reuters
Posted at Aug 03 11:20 PM

BEIJING - China said on Thursday that it was coordinating with the U.S. navy in the search for a missing U.S. sailor in the South China Sea, a rare show of goodwill between the navies in the disputed waters. Read more »

US donates Cessna-208B to Philippines

George Calvelo, ABS CBN News
Posted at Jul 27 09:18 PM

US Ambassador to Philippines Sung Kim (left) and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana show a thumbs-up sign during the turnover of two new Cessna-208B Caravan aircraft by the U.S. military to the Philippine Air Force at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City, 27 July 2017. The two aircraft were donated by the US to increase the country’s maritime security.  Read more »

US to give PH 2 surveillance aircraft

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Jul 26 09:37 PM

MANILA- The United States government is set to hand over Thursday two new surveillance aircraft to the Philippines seen to improve the country's maritime security capabilities.  Read more »

Indonesia speed boat capsizes, killing at least 10 - police

Reuters
Posted at Jul 25 04:29 PM

JAKARTA - A speed boat capsized off Indonesia's Borneo island on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people with several others believed missing, police and rescue officials said. Read more »

U.S. sailors likely at fault in cargo-ship collision: official

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Jul 22 05:36 AM

The crew of a U.S. Navy destroyer that collided with a Philippine-flagged cargo ship will "certainly" be held accountable for the crash that killed seven American sailors, a U.S. defense official said Friday. Read more »

China courts new arbitration case over Scarborough: Carpio

Christian V. Esguerra, ABS-CBN News
Updated as of Jul 13 12:22 AM

The Philippines "dropped the ball" on its landmark arbitration victory and should lodge a similar complaint if China ends up militarizing Scarborough Shoal, Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said Wednesday. Read more »

PH should lead South China Sea row resolution: Del Rosario

Christian V. Esguerra, ABS-CBN News
Updated as of Jul 12 02:02 PM

The Philippines should reassume its leadership role in resolving the South China Sea dispute and exhaust all diplomatic channels to promote its arbitral victory over Beijing, former Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario said Wednesday. Read more »

U.S. Navy relieves commander of ship struck in Japanese waters

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Jul 12 01:46 AM

TOKYO - The U.S. Navy on Tuesday said it has temporarily relieved, for medical reasons, the commander of a warship involved in a crash with a container vessel in Japanese waters that killed seven American sailors.   Read more »

US, PH Navies complete joint patrol in Sulu Sea

ABS-CBN News
Updated as of Jul 01 11:46 AM

Amid controversies arising from Chinese construction in disputed islands, the US and Philippine Navies completed a coordinated patrol in the Sulu Sea Friday morning. Read more »

Amid China's sea buildup, Palace says Duterte ‘non-combative’

Dharel Placido, ABS-CBN News
Posted at Jun 30 01:14 PM

MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte is maintaining his “non-combative” stance in dealing with China amid a report that Beijing has built new military facilities on artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea, Malacañang said Friday.  Read more »

'U.S. warship stayed on deadly collision course despite warning'

Tim Kelly, Reuters
Posted at Jun 26 10:18 PM

TOKYO - A U.S. warship struck by a container vessel in Japanese waters failed to respond to warning signals or take evasive action before a collision that killed seven of its crew, according to a report of the incident by the Philippine cargo ship's captain. Read more »

US Navy names 7 sailors found dead in USS Fitzgerald

Reuters
Posted at Jun 19 09:32 AM

TOKYO - The US Navy confirmed on Monday that all 7 missing sailors on the USS Fitzgerald were found dead after the destroyer's collision with a container ship off Japan over the weekend. Read more »

Bodies of missing sailors found in flooded compartments of US destroyer

Tim Kelly, Reuters
Updated as of Jun 18 02:10 PM

The bodies of a number of sailors who were missing after the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship were found in flooded compartments of the damaged ship, the U.S. Seventh Fleet said in a statement on Sunday. Read more »

No Filipino casualties in Japan ship collision, but several US sailors dead

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Jun 18 11:03 AM

All Filipino crew members aboard the merchant ship that collided with the USS Fitzgerald are safe, but several American sailors were confirmed to have died from the incident. Read more »

Pinoy crew safe after merchant vessel collision with US destroyer

Idrees Ali and Tim Kelly, Reuters
Updated as of Jun 17 03:24 PM

All 20 Filipino crew members on board a cargo vessel that collided with a US Navy destroyer are safe, reports said. Read more »

US destroyer's commander among at least 2 injured in Japan ship collision

ABS-CBN News
Updated as of Jun 17 11:11 AM

TOKYO - The U.S. Navy said the commander of a destroyer that collided with a Philippine merchant vessel early on Saturday morning was among two sailors medically evacuated. Read more »

7 US destroyer crew missing, at least 3 injured after collision with PH-flagged vessel: Japan coastguard

Agence France-Presse
Updated as of Jun 17 11:14 AM

TOKYO, Japan - A US Navy destroyer collided with a Philippine-flagged container ship off the coast of Japan early Saturday, leaving seven crew members from the American vessel unaccounted for, the Japanese Coast Guard said. Read more »

U.S. Navy destroyer, Philippines merchant vessel collide off Japan

Idrees Ali and Tim Kelly, Reuters
Updated as of Jun 17 09:44 AM

Seven crew of a US Navy destroyer are unaccounted for following a collision between the vessel and a Philippine-flagged container early Saturday, the Japanese Coast Guard said according to a report by Kyodo news agency. Read more »