Japan tracked four Chinese warships in a strait near Okinawa, a move that followed U.S.-Philippine military drills near a contested South China Sea atoll.

By Karen Lema MANILA, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Philippine economic growth slumped to its weakest in almost five years in the final quarter of 2025, with the full-year pace coming in well behind the government's target in a sharp blow to this year's outlook and raising the odds of further rate cuts.

The Philippine foreign secretary says the Association of Southeast Asian Nations does not recognize the recently held elections in Myanmar, the first since the army seized power in 2021.

Philippine officials have grounded the entire fleet of passenger ships belonging to a company that owned a ferry that sank in the south and left at least 18 people dead, with more than 300 others resc

An American destroyer joined Philippine forces near Scarborough Shoal for a joint patrol following the recent departure of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (CSG) from the Western Pacific. USS John Finn (DDG-113) sailed alongside the Philippine Navy frigate BRP Antonio Luna (FF 151) and the Philippine Coast Guard cutter BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV 8301) between Sunday and Monday for naval drills near the disputed South China Sea maritime feature.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro told her counterparts at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Thursday that they should maintain restraint and stick to international law as acts of aggression across Asia threaten the rules-based international order.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been taken to hospital overnight for an abdominal ailment that he says may be due to stress and age

The Philippine economy expanded 4.4 percent in 2025 as a sharp slowdown in the final three months of the year dragged down the annual performance,