Lawmakers in the Philippines have cut the budget of the country’s human rights commission to just $20 a year, amid an increasingly violent war between authorities and drug traffickers instigated by President Rodrigo Duterte.
Philippines Presidential Communications Assistant Secretary Margaux “Mocha” Uson is reportedly giving up dance commitments in Manila casinos following a firestorm of media criticism for her presence in casinos this week.
Contents: Vietnam protests China’s military drills near the Gulf of Tonkin in South China Sea; India and Vietnam become allies in confronting China
Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte told reporters Wednesday that, following the liberation of the Grand Mosque of Marawi, the nation’s military could now bomb mosques, madrassas, and other hiding centers to finally eliminate the Islamic State presence in the city.
During a speech at the Heroes’ Cemetery in Manila on Monday, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte went off-script to give some advice to a local police chief whose mayor was recently killed in a drug raid.
The Australian government is dealing with a bit of embarrassment over a photo in which Nick Warner, director general of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, did a “fist pump” alongside Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
Contents: Chinese vessels massing near Philippines island in South China Sea; Official warns may be necessary to invoke US-Philippines mutual defense treaty
Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has once against threatened human rights activists, stating Wednesday that he would allow police to shoot human rights activists if they “are obstructing justice.”
Law enforcement in the Philippines confirmed the deaths of 21 suspected drug criminals Tuesday, a day after president Rodrigo Duterte lamented of the nation’s drug epidemic, “we can’t control it.”
The United States is considering a campaign of airstrikes, or to be more precise drone strikes, against Islamic State militants in the Philippines. Terrorist vassals of ISIS have been fighting an insurgency on the southern island of Mindanao since May, despite assurances from the Philippine government that they would be swiftly defeated.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte made his second visit to the Islamic State-controlled city of Marawi on Friday, greeting soldiers and vowing to establish a trust fund for the education of children whose parents serve in the military.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte condemned his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-un as a “son of a bitch maniac” in an aside during a speech to the nation’s tax agency Wednesday, warning that despite his “chubby face,” he had the potential of turning all of Asia into “an arid land.”
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte vowed an “unrelenting” fight against the drug trade, panned critical media outlets as “American-owned,” complained of rats in the presidential palace, and admitted, “sh*t, I am willing to go to prison for the rest of my life” in his second State of the Nation address Monday.
The president of the world’s most populous Muslim country, Indonesia, has taken a page from his Filipino counterpart’s playbook, ordering police officers to shoot drug traffickers who resist address because his country is facing an illicit narcotics crisis.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has said he will never visit Donald Trump in the White House, describing the United States as a “lousy country” after U.S. lawmakers raised concerns over a potential meeting.
The spokesman for Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has defended remarks he made last week in which he said he would “congratulate” a rapist who targeted Miss Universe, claiming that the comments were “sarcastic” and “the people … really get him.”
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, in remarks Wednesday supporting the return of capital punishment, claimed that his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo had complained to him in private meetings that the United States and the European Union were attempting to meddle in domestic affairs.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has rescheduled a visit to jihadist-held Marawi City, following a failed attempt to land there last week. Speaking to reporters, he predicted the city will be “OK” within “ten to fifteen days” but warned that the Islamic State will remain a threat to the Asian island nation.
Reuters reported on Monday that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was ready to make a deal with the Islamic State to end the siege of Marawi in its early days, but changed his mind without explaining why.
The Philippine military has failed to significantly move forward in the battle to liberate Marawi, the nation’s only official “Islamic city,” from the Islamic State, as President Rodrigo Duterte marks his first year in office.
The military in the Philippines has confirmed eyewitness reports that Islamic State jihadists attempting to establish a caliphate in southern Marawi city have taken civilians hostage and forced them to fight and loot for them, and have forced female hostages into sex slavery.
Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte reportedly expressed frustration with the ongoing battle against Islamic State supporters in the southern city of Marawi, threatening to “carpet” bomb the country’s only officially Islamic city if necessary to keep soldiers safe.
Rebels linked to the Islamic State expanded the insurgency in the southern Philippines on Wednesday, attacking another town and taking a school full of children hostage.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), currently embroiled in an operation to eradicate the Islamic State from the southern city of Marawi, have called for legislators to toughen the nation’s immigration laws so as to prevent foreign jihadists from entering the country and supporting local terrorist groups.
In a breathtaking interview with the local Philippine outlet Rappler, a former jihadist with the nation’s Maute terrorist group recalls his recruitment as a child, when Maute leaders offered his parents a shot at an Islamic education.
Following a confirmation that Americans were playing a role in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS), military officials have now clarified that U.S. troops are on the ground in southern Marawi, though “not allowed to fight.”
The battle against Islamic State forces in the southern Philippine city of Marawi has entered its fourth week, despite promises from the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte that the insurgency would be crushed before the national Independence Day holiday on June 12.
American troops are providing aid to their Philippine counterparts against an attempt to establish an Islamic State caliphate in the nation’s south. U.S. officials say the aid comes “at the request” of the Philippines, while President Rodrigo Duterte denies ever having asked for help.
Contents: US special forces join Philippine military fighting Islamist terrorists in Marawi; History of Abu Sayyaf and Maute Group in the Philippines
A video has surfaced on social media apparently produced by the Islamic State’s Amaq News Agency depicting jihadists fighting in Marawi, southern Philippines, where foreign fighters are attempting to establish a Caliphate.
The operation to defeat an attempt to establish an Islamic State Caliphate in the Philippines suffered a major setback Tuesday as the nation’s air force conducted an airstrike that killed eleven of its own soldiers.
The mainstream media loves to milk easy coverage from Twitter comments, and some outlets seem to have a sweet tooth for treating everything Bill and Hillary Clinton’s daughter Chelsea says as major news, so let us join the craze by examining Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s exasperated response to Chelsea Clinton tweeting criticism of his rape comments.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte accused drug traffickers Wednesday of funding the Islamic State uprising in the nation’s south, where affiliates Abu Sayyaf and the Maute group are attempting to conquer the city of Marawi.
The Islamic State has released a hostage video from the southern Philippines in which kidnapped Catholic priest Father Teresito “Chito” Suganob pleads with President Rodrigo Duterte to withdraw troops from the area, suggesting the lives of some 200 hostages are at stake, including children.
Over the weekend, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte asked several Muslim separatist and Communist groups to fight alongside government troops against the Islamic State. The groups have not yet agreed to a formal alliance, but they have reportedly exchanged gunfire with ISIS militants.
Civilians who have escaped the besieged city of Marawi in the southern Philippines say the Islamic State-affiliated jihadis fighting to establish a caliphate there are largely teenaged, with some as young as thirteen participating in the killing.
The Islamic State terrorists overrunning southern Marawi, Philippines, are reportedly forcing Christians and Muslims alike to recite Muslim prayers or face certain death, a tactic jihadists have employed in similar raids around the world.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte joked in an address to soldiers this weekend that he would protect them if they raped up to three women–but not four–a remark that has aroused the ire of feminist groups and recalled a major controversy during his presidential campaign.
The battle to prevent Islamic State-affiliated jihadists from establishing a Caliphate in the southern Philippines has begun, as President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the Philippine military to overtake the city of Marawi Thursday and wipe out all elements of the Maute group.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday that Islamic State insurgents rampaging around the city of Marawi ambushed and beheaded a local police chief.
