Philippines

MANILA: A women's group has asked Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's government to oppose any request by Japan to remove a newly erected monument honouring women who were forced to work in military brothels for Japanese forces during World War II. The Gabriela women's group said Thursday that Duterte should instead demand an apology and compensation for Filipino women who were “conscripted by the Japanese Imperial Army to serve as wartime sex slaves”.The monument, unveiled last month along a public promenade by Manila Bay, features a bronze statue of a blindfolded Filipina in traditional gown.A National Historical Commission marker says the monument was erected to memorialise Filipinas who fell victim to the abuses during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines from 1942 to 1945.Japanese officials did not immediately comment. (Video YouTube/Al Jazeera) … [Read more...] about Women’s group asks Philippine leader to keep abuse statue

Philippine shares jumped the most in a year on Tuesday, hitting a record high on foreign buying, while Vietnam climbed for a second straight session to a fresh 10-year high. Asian shares ex-Japan were nearly flat in afternoon trade, after paring gains and pulling away from the cusp of a record high."Asian markets are driven by the return of Japanese investors from their holiday break. So, we can see buying from those sources," said Manny Cruz, an analyst at Asiasec Equities Inc in Manila.Philippine shares closed 2% up at a record high of 8,923.72, with foreign investors net buying equities worth 1.42 billion pesos ($28.22 million). Financials and industrial stocks accounted for more than half of the gains, with SM Prime Holdings Inc and International Container Terminal Services Inc closing up 3.4% and 2.5%, respectively."Buying from foreign funds is heightened by the fact that recently President Rodrigo Duterte signed a tax reform programme that would spur infrastructure developments … [Read more...] about Thai stocks flat, Philippines hits record high

MANILA: The Philippines will make a diplomatic protest to China, which the southeast Asian nation's defence minister described as having reneged on a promise not to militarise artificial islands in the busy South China Sea waterway. The United States has criticised China's build-up of military facilities on the artificial islands and is concerned they could be used to restrict free movement along the key trade route.Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana's comment followed a Dec 30 broadcast of aerial footage by the official China Central Television (CCTV) showing Fiery Cross Reef, which appeared to have been transformed into an airbase."The Chinese government said some time ago that they were not going to militarise those reclaimed islands," Lorenzana told reporters, adding that the protest would be made through the foreign ministry."If it is true and we can prove that they have been putting soldiers and even weapons systems, that will be a violation of what they said."Asked … [Read more...] about Philippines to protest to China over manmade island ‘airbase’

MANILA: The Philippines will make a diplomatic protest to China, which the southeast Asian nation's defence minister described as having reneged on a promise not to militarise artificial islands in the busy South China Sea waterway. The United States has criticised China's build-up of military facilities on the artificial islands and is concerned they could be used to restrict free movement along the key trade route.Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana's comment followed a Dec 30 broadcast of aerial footage by the official China Central Television (CCTV) showing Fiery Cross Reef, which appeared to have been transformed into an airbase."The Chinese government said some time ago that they were not going to militarise those reclaimed islands," Lorenzana told reporters, adding that the protest would be made through the foreign ministry."If it is true and we can prove that they have been putting soldiers and even weapons systems, that will be a violation of what they said."Asked … [Read more...] about Philippines to protest to China over ‘airbase’ on manmade island

MANILA: A massive crowd of mostly barefoot Filipino Catholics has joined an annual procession of a centuries-old black statue of Jesus Christ under extra-tight security after the Philippines came under a disastrous pro-Islamic State group attack last year. Philippine police and military deployed more than 6,000 personnel, including snipers and bomb squads backed by a surveillance helicopter and drones, to secure the procession of the wooden Black Nazarene on Tuesday along Manila's streets. Authorities say no specific terrorist threat has been monitored. More than 600 devotees have been treated mostly for minor injuries and exhaustion.Hundreds of militants laid siege for five months in southern Marawi city, leaving more than 1,100 combatants and civilians dead in the worst IS group-linked attack so far in Asia. Troops crushed the uprising in October. (Video Twitter/CNN Philippines) … [Read more...] about Security tight for huge Catholic procession in Philippines