Tag: Philippines

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UAE sends 100,000 Covid jab doses to Philippines

Since the pandemic’s onset, the UAE has provided more than 2,250 metric tonnes of aid to more than 136 countries….reports Asian Lite News

The UAE dispatched an aircraft, which arrived in the Philippines’ capital of Manila, carrying medical supplies, including 100,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses, as part of the UAE’s ongoing efforts to support countries in containing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Khaled Al Hajri, ChargĂ© d’Affaires at the UAE Embassy in Manila, said that this step aligns with the UAE leadership’s keenness to support efforts made by authorities in the Philippines to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He noted that the Philippines was among the first countries to receive medical aid from the UAE, wherein the UAE sent an aircraft carrying 7.3 metric tonnes of medical supplies in April 2020.

Al Hajri highlighted the deep ties between the UAE and the Philippines, which span several decades.

Two days ago, UAE dispatched an aircraft to the Comoros loaded with 300,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses and other medical supplies, including 600,000 injection needles, to facilitate the local vaccination process.

Saeed Mohammed Al Maqbali, UAE Ambassador to Comoros, said dispatching the medical supplies aimed at addressing the COVID-19 pandemic underscores the ongoing support of the UAE for the Comoros, through providing a sizeable quantity of vaccines for a large segment of its population, especially the elderly and those with chronic diseases.

“In the past three months, the UAE has sent three aircraft loaded with 21.7 metric tons of medical supplies, in addition to an aircraft in April 2021 loaded with 43 metric tons of food aid,” he added.

Since the pandemic’s onset, the UAE has provided more than 2,250 metric tonnes of aid to more than 136 countries.

Last month, The UAE had sent a plane carrying 56 tonnes of medical supplies, including oxygen cylinders, respiratory equipment and COVID-19 vaccines, to Indonesia to fight Covid-19 pandemic.

Abdullah Salem Al Dhaheri, UAE Ambassador to Indonesia, praised the strong relations between the UAE and Indonesia, which are reflected in continuous contacts, cross visits and growing cooperation between the two countries.

“Indonesia was among the first countries to receive medical aid from the UAE to combat COVID-19. In April 2020, the UAE sent to Indonesia a plane carrying 20 tonnes of medical supplies, to help healthcare workers to contain the spread of the pandemic,” he added.

ALSO READ:UAE provides urgent aid to Greece

ALSO READ: UAE sets out vaccination centres for 3-17 age group

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-Top News Asia News China

Philippines refuses to withdraw navy from South China Sea

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte

President of Philippines Rodrigo Duterte has said that he will not withdraw navy and coastguard boats patrolling the disputed South China Sea and insisted that the country’s sovereignty over the waters is “not negotiable”.

He said late on Wednesday that while the Philippines is indebted to its “good friend” China for many things, including free COVID-19 vaccines, his country’s claims to the waterway “cannot be bargainable”, Al Jazeera reported.

“I’ll tell China, we do not want trouble, we do not want war. But if you tell us to leave – no,” Duterte said.

Also Read | Philippines holds naval drills in disputed sea amid tensions

“There are things which are not really subject to a compromise, such as us pulling back. It’s difficult. I hope they understand, but I have the interest of my country also to protect,” he added.

Duterte’s lack of a strong approach against Chinese actions in the South China Sea has drawn the ire of Filipinos on social media.

His remarks came after the country’s defence department said China had “no business telling the Philippines what we can and cannot do with our own waters”.

The Philippine coastguard is conducting drills near Thitu Island and Scarborough Shoal, as well as the Batanes islands in the north and the southern and eastern parts of the country.

In response to the exercises, China’s foreign ministry said on Monday that the Philippines should “stop actions complicating the situation and escalating disputes”. Other littoral states, including Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei, claim parts of the South China Sea. Taiwan also has a claim.

In recent weeks, Manila has boosted “sovereignty patrols” involving the navy coastguard and fisheries in the Spratly Islands – an archipelago contested by several countries.

The defence and foreign affairs ministries in the Philippines have been up in arms for a fortnight over the presence of 220 fishing boats suspected to be manned by Chinese maritime militia at Whitsun Reef, with statements flying back and forth over the alleged incursion into the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

Secretary of Philippines Foreign Affairs Teddy Locsin Jnr said last Wednesday he was “firing off another diplomatic protest” to China’s embassy and would continue objecting “every day until the last one’s gone like it should be by now if it is really fishing”.

Philippines
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte

Even after such an intensifying row, China hasn’t shown any sign of relocation of the vessels.

Instead, they have accused the Philippines of using a 2016 international tribunal ruling, which deprived China of certain outcrops of territorial-generating status, the ruling from the permanent court of arbitration effectively punches holes in China’s all-encompassing “nine-dash” line that stretches deep into the South China Sea, as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald.

The 2016 International Tribunal Ruling denies China of its thousand years of fishing rights in the area.

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea and has overlapping territorial claims with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

China has been increasing its maritime activities in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea over the past few months, partly in response to Beijing’s concerns over the increasing US military presence in the region because of escalating Sino-US tensions.

Beijing’s rising assertiveness against counter claimants in the East and South Sea has resulted in unprecedented agreement across the Indo-Pacific. (ANI)

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Asia News China

Philippines holds naval drills in disputed sea amid tensions

PCG said eight capital ships of the national government have been deployed for the maritime exercises in Bajo De Masinloc and Pag-asa Island…reports Asian Lite News

The Philippines has conducted maritime exercises in the disputed West Philippine Sea, as Chinese coast guard ships continue to amass near a disputed reef in the South China Sea.

Members of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources began their “intensified” maritime training, CNN Philippines reported.

In a statement, the PCG said eight capital ships of the national government have been deployed for the maritime exercises in Bajo De Masinloc and Pag-asa Island. The exercises cover navigation, small boat operations, maintenance, and logistical operations.

Lawyers, medical workers, and maritime specialists are also on board the vessels, the PCG said.

The vessels would also be used to perform maritime drills in the Batanes Group of Islands, Benham Rise, as well as in the southern and eastern portions of the Philippines.

“We are supporting the whole-of-nation approach in securing our maritime jurisdiction, especially the efforts of the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea to undertake maritime security, maritime safety, maritime law enforcement, maritime search and rescue, and marine environmental protection roles in our country’s waters,” PCG spokesperson Commodore Armando Balilo said.

China refuses to remove its vessels

Last Friday, the Foreign Affairs Department filed two diplomatic protests amid China’s refusal to remove its vessels in the country’s maritime zones.

The DFA said that as of April 20, 160 Chinese fishing vessels and maritime militia have been spotted by law enforcement agencies in Philippine waters.”

Philippine Navy(wikipedia)

The presence of these vessels blatantly infringe upon Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction,” the DFA said in a statement.

Last month, the Philippines announced the deployment of additional navy ships to the South China Sea after over 200 Chinese vessels were spotted in the Whitsun Reef. Later, the Philippines also filed a diplomatic protest over the issue.

China claims sovereignty

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea and has overlapping territorial claims with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

China has been increasing its maritime activities in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea over the past few months, partly in response to Beijing’s concerns over the increasing US military presence in the region because of escalating Sino-US tensions.

Philippine Navy(wikipedia)

The defence and foreign affairs ministries in the Philippines have been up in arms for a fortnight over the presence of Chinese vessels at Whitsun Reef, with statements flying back and forth over the alleged incursion into the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

Even after such an intensifying row, China hasn’t shown any sign of relocation of the vessels.

Instead, it has accused the Philippines of using a 2016 international tribunal ruling, which deprived China of certain outcrops of territorial-generating status, the ruling from the permanent court of arbitration effectively punches holes in China’s all-encompassing “nine-dash” line that stretches deep into the South China Sea, as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald.

The 2016 International Tribunal Ruling denies China of its thousand years of fishing rights in the area. (ANI)

Also read:Philippines imposes entry curbs again

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Philippine President won’t attend ASEAN summit

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte

Philippine President Duterte “has decided to remain in the country to attend to pressing domestic concerns in light of the surge of Covid-19 cases”…reports Asian Lite News

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will not attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders’ summit scheduled on Saturday in Jakarta, Indonesia, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Thursday.

In a statement, the DFA said Duterte “has decided to remain in the country to attend to pressing domestic concerns in light of the surge of Covid-19 cases”, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Philippines now has over 962,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases, including 16,265 deaths.



The DFA said Duterte has designated Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin as his “special envoy” to the summit that will discuss ASEAN’s “collective efforts in addressing threats and challenges to peace and stability in the region”.

“This special leaders’ meeting will address urgent matters in the region, including recovery efforts, the situation in Myanmar, ASEAN community-building efforts, external relations, and regional and international issues,” the DFA statement added.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Also read:ASEAN summit on Myanmar to be held on April 24