Philippines

(Reuters) --- The Philippine foreign minister on Monday demanded in an expletive-laced message on Twitter that China’s vessels get out of disputed waters, marking the latest exchange in a war of words with Beijing over its activities in the South China Sea.

The comments by Teodoro Locsin, known for making blunt remarks at times, follow Manila's protests for what it calls the "illegal" presence of hundreds of Chinese boats inside the Philippines 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

(Reuters) --- China has no business telling the Philippines what it can or cannot do within its waters, Manila's defence ministry said on Wednesday, rejecting Beijing's opposition to its ongoing coastguard exercises.

Philippines Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told reporters China has "no authority or legal basis to prevent us from conducting these exercises" in the South China Sea because "their claims... have no basis."

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Coronavirus infections surged past 1 million in the Philippines on Monday as officials assess whether to extend a monthlong lockdown in the Manila region amid a grim spike in cases or relax it to fight a recession, joblessness and hunger.

The Department of Health reported 8,929 new infections on Monday, bringing the country’s total to 1,006,428, including 16,853 deaths. The totals are the second highest in Southeast Asia after Indonesia.

MANILA, April 11 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines on Sunday received the second batch of Sinovac Biotech's CoronaVac vaccines purchased from China.

The Philippine Airlines, which flew the vaccines to Manila, handed over the shipment to vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, the official in charge of the Philippines' vaccine procurement efforts.

MANILA, April 11 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines and the United States will start their annual joint military exercise dubbed "Balikatan" on Monday, the Philippine military chief said on Sunday.

This year's exercise is a "scaled-down version" of the previous drills due to the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Philippine defense and military authorities.

Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana, the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said this year's "Balikatan" will only involve 1,700 troops -- 700 from the U.S. and 1,000 from the Philippines.

Manila, Apr 5 (AP-PTI) The Philippine government extended a lockdown by another week Monday after an alarming spike in coronavirus infections continued to surge and started to overwhelm many hospitals in the capital and outlying regions.

President Rodrigo Duterte placed Metropolitan Manila and four outlying provinces, a region of more than 25 million people, under lockdown last week as daily infections breached 10,000. Roman Catholic leaders shifted Holy Week and Easter events online after all public gatherings, including in places of worship, were temporarily banned.

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines’ defence chief said on Sunday China was looking to occupy more areas in the South China Sea, citing the continued presence of Chinese vessels that Manila believes are manned by militias in disputed parts of the strategic waterway.

“The continued presence of Chinese maritime militias in the area reveals their intent to further occupy (areas) in the West Philippine Sea,” Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement, using the local name for the South China Sea.

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has extended a strict lockdown in the capital region and adjacent provinces by at least one week to try to contain a renewed surge in coronavirus infections, his spokesman said on Saturday.

The Philippines, which has the second-highest COVID-19 cases and deaths in Southeast Asia, reported 12,576 new coronavirus infections on Saturday, putting further strain on the healthcare system.

MANILA, Apr 1 (NNN-PNA) – The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) reported today, 8,920 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 756,199.

The death toll climbed to 13,303, after six more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH added.

The Philippines, which has about 110 million population, tested over 9.5 million people, since the outbreak in Jan, 2020. This country kicked off its vaccination programme on Mar 1, a day after the delivery of the first batch of Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine, donated by China.

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines will reimpose stricter quarantine measures in the capital Manila and nearby provinces, a senior official said on Saturday, as the country battles to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases that put a bigger strain on hospitals.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the measures would be in effect from March 29 to April 4.

The health ministry on Saturday reported 9,595 new coronavirus cases, marking the second straight day the daily jump in infections remained above 9,000. The country posted a record rise in three of the past five days.