Context Dispatch

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) destroyer JS OONAMI arrived in Manila for a port visit ahead of joint military drills. The visit highlights deepening defense ties between Japan and the Philippines amid growing regional security cooperation.

Finance Secretary Ralph Recto on Tuesday cautioned senators against approving a proposal to cut the value-added tax (VAT) rate from 12 percent to 10 percent, warning that such a move could significantly increase government debt and risk a credit rating downgrade.

The Stratbase ADR Institute has strongly condemned a recent act of aggression by China in the West Philippine Sea, following an October 12 incident where a China Coast Guard vessel rammed a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) ship and fired water cannons at its crew.

In response to a request from the Philippine government, Japan has pledged emergency relief assistance to support those affected by the recent earthquake in Central Philippines. The aid, provided through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), includes tents, blankets, plastic sheets, sleeping pads, portable jerry cans, and water purifiers.

A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck offshore Davao Oriental early Friday, prompting a tsunami warning for coastal areas in Mindanao and the Visayas as well as parts of Indonesia, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).