Philippines
Philippine president bolsters police powers and foreshadows new austerity measures
By Keith Morgan, August 5, 2002
In her second State of the Nation speech on July 23, Philippine President Gloria Arroyo laid out a prescription for tougher economic austerity measures, further inroads into democratic rights under th...
US prepares to extend its military presence in the Philippines
By Keith Morgan, July 2, 2002
When the US dispatched more than 1,000 troops to the Philippines earlier this year, both Washington and Manila claimed that the Balikatan (Shoulder-to-Shoulder) “training exercise” would l...
Washington seizes on Philippines hostage deaths to extend military presence
By Keith Morgan, June 13, 2002
A botched rescue attempt by Philippine soldiers on June 7 has resulted in the deaths of two of the three hostages held by an Abu Sayyaf group in southern Mindanao for more than a year. American missio...
Philippine bomb blasts provide excuse for expanded US military presence
By John Roberts, May 13, 2002
A series of bomb blasts last month in the southern Philippine city of General Santos has been used to argue for greater US military involvement in the country. Most of the casualties were caused by a ...
US military plans for a long-term presence in the Philippines
By John Roberts, April 16, 2002
When US troops started to arrive in the Philippines in February to extend the Bush administration’s “war against terror” into South East Asia the publicly announced terms of the &ldq...
US "training exercise' in the Philippines sets stage for broader military operations
By John Roberts, March 15, 2002
According to the US and Filipino governments, the 660 American troops that began to arrive in the Philippines in January, are involved in a six-month “training exercise”. Two months on, ho...
The US extends "war on terrorism" into the Philippines
By Peter Symonds, January 21, 2002
Under the guise of conducting a joint training exercise with the Philippines Armed Forces, more than 650 US troops, including 160 elite special forces soldiers, have begun landing on the southern isla...
Philippine president uses September 11 attacks to forge closer ties with US
By Keith Morgan and Peter Symonds, December 13, 2001
In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has exploited the opportunity to establish a closer relationship with the US. She immediately condemned...
Philippines hotel fire reveals neglect of safety standards
By John Roberts, August 23, 2001
More than 70 people are dead and 100 injured, over half of them seriously, after a devastating fire broke out in the Manor Hotel in the Philippine capital of Manila early on Saturday morning. The flam...
Philippine President Arroyo takes hardline stance over hostage crisis
By Keith Morgan and Peter Symonds, June 22, 2001
The hardline stance taken by Philippine President Gloria Arroyo over the current hostage crisis on the southern island of Basilan has once again confirmed the rightwing and anti-democratic orientation...
Philippine president fails to obtain a clear mandate in national elections
By Keith Morgan and Peter Symonds, May 19, 2001
Vote counting in the May 14 national elections in the Philippines will probably not be finalised for more than a week. But it is already clear that President Gloria Arroyo has failed to register the r...
Philippine president declares "state of rebellion" and cracks down on opposition
By Keith Morgan and Peter Symonds, May 7, 2001
Large protests by supporters of ousted Philippine president Joseph Estrada culminating in running street battles with police and the military on May 1, have rocked the newly installed administration o...
