The bill could face roadblocks when it reaches the senate as pressures from conservative lawmakers and Catholic groups mount.

The recently rebuilt and reopened Admiral Hotel Manila – MGallery offers amazing views of Manila Bay, enticing food and cocktails, even a tour of the Philippine capital in the hotel’s 1951 Buick.

The proposed law will empower the president to ban apps that could be used by “foreign adversaries” to threaten national security.

Local officials say they have contingencies in place since last year for massive refugee influx should full-blown conflict erupt in volatile area.

The pact allowing Manila and Tokyo’s defence forces to train in each other’s territories is expected to be signed next month.

Japan’s growing role as a security provider in Asia is necessary, with the US preoccupied with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, analysts say.

The Philippines says it has contingency plans to counter China’s actions including filing a diplomatic protest against Beijing.

Claims that the alleged deal was already in place before Duterte’s term are meant to shift the blame to former leader Benigno Aquino III, observers say.

Vice-Admiral Alberto Carlos admits talking to a Chinese military attaché on ways to reduce maritime tensions, but insists he has ‘not compromised’ the country’s territorial integrity.

A Chinese think tank says Vietnam has reclaimed more land in the Spratly Islands over the past three years than in the previous 40 years.

Peer-reviewed paper recommends tunnelling under three artificial islands in the disputed Spratly chain to ease crowding.

The Chinese coastguard earlier said it would detain any foreign nationals for trespassing in the disputed South China Sea.

In a televised interview, Guo revealed that she was an abandoned child of a man who was a Chinese citizen and a domestic helper.

Analysts say Beijing’s claims about an alleged deal on the South China Sea are likely a form of psychological manipulation aimed at breaking the Philippines’ resolve.

Philippine officials said on Monday they were ‘alarmed’ by Chinese activities at Scarborough Shoal, which Manila has accused Beijing of destroying.

Philippine lawmakers and officials are protesting against a new policy allowing China’s coastguard to detain suspects from next month.

Critics say the Philippine president’s new rights ‘super body’ is superfluous – and an attempt to ‘deodorise his administration’s odious human rights record’.

Rear Admiral Alfonso Torres Jnr will replace Vice-Admiral Alberto Carlos as chief of the Western Command on Palawan island.

The Philippine president told military graduates Manila faced ‘a blatant disregard of internationally accepted principles’.

A civil society group is urging Marcos Jnr to start a social media regulatory board but analysts fear the move could be targeted at silencing critics.

Underground tourist attractions include the Paris Catacombs, which store the remains of 6 million people, the site of the amazing rescue of that Thai youth football team, and the world’s largest cave.

The project will see the construction of military barracks and other infrastructure aimed at countering China’s activities in the disputed waters.

Activists and analysts expressed concern the deployment of the Typhon mid-range missile system could provoke retaliation from Beijing.

A senator claimed Chinese diplomats might be expelled if an investigation found they had violated the country’s anti-wiretapping law.

Alice Leal Guo, mayor of small town Bamban, was unable to provide details about her early life and background during a senate hearing.

Organisers said they managed to deliver supplies to Filipino fishers despite ‘China’s massive blockade’.

Increased patrols come after discovery of crushed corals near Sabina Shoal, as analyst says the move shows Manila is preparing for potential escalation of tensions.