MANILA, Philippines—Philippine officials began evacuating thousands of villagers, shut down schools and offices and imposed a no-sail ban Monday as Typhoon Mawar approached the country’s northern provinces a week after battering the U.S. territory of Guam. The typhoon is packing maximum sustained winds of 155 kpm (96 mph) and gusts of up to 190 kph…

YILAN, Taiwan—Typhoon Mawar lashed Taiwan’s eastern coast with wind, rain and large waves Tuesday but largely skirted the island after giving a glancing blow to the northern Philippines. The storm was moving slowly toward southern Japan. With waves crashing on the shoreline, residents of the Taiwanese fishing town of Yilan secured boats and homes against…

A massive fire tore through Manila’s historic post office building overnight, slightly injuring one person and razing the nearly 100-year-old landmark in the Philippine capital, police and postal officials said Monday. The fire started before midnight in the basement of the neoclassical, five-story building and was brought under control Monday morning more than seven hours…

The Philippines on Monday warned of “serious repercussions” if China removes navigational buoys installed within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the disputed South China Sea. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) installed five navigational buoys last week to mark its sovereignty over the country’s EEZ in the South China Sea—which Manila refers to as…

The Philippines has installed some navigational buoys within its 200-mile (322-km) exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea to assert its sovereignty, according to the country’s coast guard. Five buoys carrying the national flag were set up from May 10 to 12 in five areas within the EEZ, according to Commodore Jay Tarriela,…

The United States and the Philippines will share real-time intelligence about China’s military activities in the Pacific, the Pentagon said. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Philippine counterpart, Carlito Galvez, established the Bilateral Defense Guidelines on May 3. As part of that agreement, the two nations will increase their military coordination and interoperability, including…

The United States and the Philippines will strengthen their alliance through increased military cooperation, including the supply of air and maritime capabilities from the United States to the Philippines. President Joe Biden met with Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the White House on May 1, where the two agreed to increase military coordination. “[This…

A Philippine senator has called for Beijing to recall its representative in Manila “as soon as possible” following his “threat” to the Philippines to oppose Taiwan’s independence. “How dare he threaten us,” Senator Risa Hontiveros said in a statement on April 16. “He, along with his country’s ships and artificial islands in the West Philippine Sea,…

The United States and its key ally the Philippines are holding their largest war combat exercises in decades on April 11, with more than 17,600 military members from both countries set to participate in the annual bilateral event in and around the island nation. The joint exercise, known as the “Balikatan,” will run up to April 28, according…

The Department of Defense will open four new strategic military sites in the Philippines to enhance the U.S. military’s readiness and responsiveness in the region as China’s aggression, posturing, and military buildup in the region continues. The new locations mark an expansion of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the two countries, which allows…