Author: Ian Fernandez

“We are willing to defend ourselves without any questions and we will fight the war if we need to fight the war. And if we need to defend ourselves to the very last day we will defend ourselves to the very last day,” Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said on April 7 as quoted by […]

“China has no such plan,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on April 6 when asked if China has a plan to maintain a permanent presence at Julian Felipe Reef which China calls as Niu’e Jiao. However, Zhao maintained that the said reef is owned by China. “The Niu’e Jiao is part of China’s Nansha […]

National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has tested positive for COVID-19. “The result of my RT-PCR test today, 06 April 2021, came up positive,” the national defense chief said in a statement. “I will be undergoing isolation, following the quarantine guidelines to avoid infecting others,” he asaid. “Those who have been exposed to me have been […]

“Filipinos should stand foursquare behind DND (Department of National Defense) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana for making known his strong position in defending our country’s sovereign rights over the Whitsun Reef (Julian Felipe Reef) – and before that, the Mischief Reef, occupied by the Chinese during the period 1994-1995 and the Scarborough Shoal, which China cordoned off […]

National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and French Ambassador to the Philippines Michèle Boccoz during their meeting on March 2 discussed France’s financial assistance being offered by the French government for creation of Philippine Navy’s submarine force. According to France’s Directorate General of the Treasury, Secretary Lorenzana, during his meeting with the French ambassador, underlined the […]

“The United States stands with our ally, the Philippines, in the face of the PRC’s maritime militia amassing at Whitsun Reef (Julian Felipe Reef),” United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a Twitter post March 29. “We will always stand by our allies and stand up for the rules-based international order,” he added. Over […]

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief-of-Staff Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana said, during his confirmation hearing before the Commission on Appointments on March 24, that the military does not tolerate incursions in the country’s territorial waters. Lieutenant General Sobejana said the AFP deployed assets to conduct maritime patrol (MARPAT) in Julian Felipe Reef to verify […]

The Common Station Project, which will seamlessly interconnect the rail lines of LRT-1, MRT-3, MRT-7, and the Metro Manila Subway, is now at 48.48% completion rate, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said. “Targeted to be completed on December 2021, the Common Station features a 13,700-square meter CONCOURSE AREA which will seamlessly interconnect the rail lines […]

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel, aboard DA-BFAR Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) vessel 3005, delivered 6,500 doses of COVID-19 vaccine in Bohol on March 14. “The 5,140 doses of AstraZeneca and 1,340 doses of Sinovac vaccines that came all the way from Aduana Wharf, Pier 1, Cebu City were received by Bohol’s Supply Officer, Mr. Alexchito Lupranco […]

National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said during March 11 Laging Handa press briefing that the Philippines has 2 documents proving sovereign rights over West Philippine Sea. He made the statement when asked regarding the possibility of West Philippine Sea dispute will be affected by donated Chinese COVID-19 vaccines. “Hindi naman siguro sinasabi ng China na […]