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(Radio Free Asia) China has dismissed a report that Beijing has been developing at least four unoccupied features in the South China Sea. Some U.S. experts have also casted doubt on the claims.

A Bloomberg News report on Tuesday quoted unnamed Western officials as saying China is building up several unoccupied land features including Eldad Reef, Lankiam Cay, Whitsun Reef and Sandy Cay, all in the Spratly archipelago, also claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

China rejected the news, with the South China Sea Probing Initiative (SCSPI) think tank calling it “100% fake news.”

During a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected Bloomberg’s report as “completely untrue.”

“Refraining from action on the presently uninhabited islands and reefs of the Nansha Islands is a serious common understanding reached by China and ASEAN countries in the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), and China always strictly abides by it,” Mao Ning said in response to a reporter’s question. China refers to the Spratlys as the Nansha islands… Read More

(CNN Philippines) Metro Manila — The OCTA Research group is projecting a decline in COVID-19 cases in the country despite the less restrictive celebrations this holiday season.

“With the coming holidays, we are seeing a possible decrease in case count overall, also in Metro Manila decreasing,” OCTA Research fellow Guido David told CNN Philippines’ New Day on Monday. “Today we may see more than a thousand but definitely tomorrow we are expecting lower numbers, could be down to about 600 or 700.”

In a tweet, David noted that the positivity rate, or the percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19, in Metro Manila has declined from 14.4% as of Dec. 10 to 13.9% as of Dec. 17, which may mean that the “BQ.1 wave is receding in time for a happy holiday.”

However, this is still higher than the benchmark set by the World Health Organization of below 5%… Read More

(The Mercury) At least nine people were killed in a residential fire in Muntinlupa in Metropolitan Manila, the Philippines, on Sunday morning, December 18, Filipino media reported. Citing fire authorities, the Philippines’s GMA Network reported the fire started shortly before 9 am and was declared extinguished by 10:25 am. At least one person remained missing. The cause of the fire was under investigation. This is a developing story… Read More

(CNN Philippines) Metro Manila — Jose Maria “Joma” Sison, founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), has died at the age of 83, the CPP announced on Saturday.

The communist leader died Friday, Dec. 16, at around 8:40 p.m. (Philippine time) after two weeks of confinement in a hospital in Utrecht, The Netherlands, the party said in a statement.

“The entire Communist Party of the Philippines gives the highest possible tribute to its founding chairman, great Marxist-Leninist-Maoist thinker, patriot, internationalist and revolutionary leader,” the CPP wrote “Even as we mourn, we vow [to] continue to give all our strength and determination to carry the revolution forward guided by the memory and teachings of the people’s beloved Ka Joma,” it added. As of press time, the communist party has not released other details about its leader’s passing… Read More

(Interaksyon) The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) partnered with a ride-hailing firm to provide better airport transport services for arriving travelers.

The MIAA operates the four terminals of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Called “Airport to Anywhere (ATA),” this initiative is launched in partnership with Grab Philippines. It aims to help address the high demand for airport vehicles during the holiday season.

MIAA issued this announcement on Thursday, December 15.

In the post, MIAA said that it added 200 Grab-accredited vehicles to its airport vehicle fleet ahead of the expected influx of arriving overseas Filipinos with vacation plans in their hometowns.

The ATA unit can be booked via Grab’s mobile application.

Prices are fixed based on the location of the destination. There are also surcharges… Read More

(Time) As 2022 draws to a close, lawmakers in the Philippines are pushing for the establishment of a sovereign wealth fund to purportedly help the country finance future economic development.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had called for the immediate enactment of the fund’s implementing bill, which was initially proposed on Nov. 28. A revised version of the bill was passed by the House of Representatives on Thursday, just before Congress goes on Christmas holiday break. It now awaits a legislative counterpart from the Senate.

Marcos Jr., who was elected in May, vouches for the fund’s creation, telling reporters on Dec. 12 that it will bring “added investment” to the Southeast Asian nation of 110 million people. His economic team, meanwhile, have cited similar state-owned funds in Singapore and Indonesia as a testament to the potential success the Philippines could reap… Read More

(PR Newswire New York) PASAY CITY, Philippines, Dec. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — SM Prime Holdings Inc.’s Hans T. Sy was recognized for his contribution to nation-building and resiliency in the country through sustainability and disaster risk reduction at The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) Awards 2022.

“The Outstanding Filipino, or TOFIL Awards, is among the most prestigious awards given in our country to deserving Filipinos of good moral character, whose dedication to his or her profession or vocation has made significant contributions to the advancement of his or her calling,” said Civil Service Commission Chairperson Hon. Karlo Alexei B. Nograles. “The honorees are chosen based on the strength of their character, the strength of their integrity and the impact of their achievements in their field of work.”.. Read More

(The Manila Times) WHILE working on my final paper for my environmental management course, I was pleased to share with my class that the Philippines pioneered a community-based approach to marine protected area management. I spent a whole season with Canadian classmates and a few others, like me, who were overseas. During this time, I represented real-life examples of climate change issues like Typhoon “Paeng” wreaking havoc on Luzon. The module on agroforestry, allowed me to share examples from my little farm where we got yields from cacao trees we planted five years ago between coconut and other native trees. Learning that we had a head start in marine protected areas management gave me a little sense of pride. We’re not so bad, and we aren’t always climate victims… Read More