Tag: Philippines

The Chinese are significantly escalating their provocations against the Philippines military as they try and resupply troops stationed on the Second Thomas Shoal:

The Philippines military chief demanded Wednesday that China return several rifles and equipment seized by the Chinese coast guard in a disputed shoal and pay for damage in an assault he likened to an act of piracy in the South China Sea. Chinese personnel on board more than eight motorboats repeatedly rammed then boarded the two Philippine navy inflatable boats Monday to prevent Filipino navy personnel from transferring food and other supplies including firearms to a Philippine territorial outpost in Second Thomas Shoal, which is also claimed by Beijing, according to Philippine officials.

After a scuffle and repeated collisions, the Chinese seized the boats and damaged them with machetes, knives and hammers. They also seized eight M4 rifles, which were packed in cases, navigation equipment and other supplies and wounded a number of Filipino navy personnel, including one who lost his right thumb, two Philippine security officials told The Associated on Tuesday. The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authority to discuss the sensitive conflict publicly.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link, but it is easy to imagine how this can escalate because the Philippines military next time will probably come in more forcibly to defend their resupply boats against the Chinese piracy.

This is how a future conflict with China could get started by a nation in the South China Sea sinking a Chinese ship and facing retaliation that draws the U.S. into the conflict:

Philippine navy ship BRP Sierra Madre is seen at the Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin Shoal, at the South China Sea, April 23, 2023. A Chinese vessel and a Philippine supply ship collided near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on Monday, June 17, 2024, China’s coast guard said. (Aaron Favila/AP)

A Chinese vessel and a Philippine supply ship collided near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on Monday, China’s coast guard said, in the latest flare-up of escalating territorial disputes that have sparked alarm. The coast guard said a Philippine supply ship entered waters near the Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands, part of a territory claimed by several nations. The Philippines says the shoal falls within its internationally recognized exclusive economic zone and often cites a 2016 international arbitration ruling invalidating China’s expansive South China Sea claims based on historical grounds.

The Chinese coast guard said the Philippine craft “ignored China’s repeated solemn warnings … and dangerously approached a Chinese vessel in normal navigation in an unprofessional manner, resulting in a collision.” “The Philippines is entirely responsible for this,” the coast guard said in its statement on the social media platform WeChat. Meanwhile, the Philippine military called the Chinese coast guard’s report “deceptive and misleading,” and said it would “not discuss operational details on the legal humanitarian rotation and resupply mission at Ayungin Shoal, which is well within our exclusive economic zone.”

It used the Philippine name for the shoal, where Filipino navy personnel have transported food, medicine and other supplies to a long-grounded warship that has served as Manila’s territorial outpost.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

It was only a matter of time before small businesses that cannot stay profitable due to increasing minimum wage requirements used technology to replace overpriced labor:

This allowed employees living in the Philippines to take store orders, adjust delivery orders, answer store calls, and even manage restaurant reviews.

Happy Casher expects more than 100 New York-based restaurants to use the service by the end of this year.

The hourly wage for Filipinos working in this job is $3 (about 4,100 won), which is quite cheap considering New York’s minimum wage of $16 (about 22,000 won).

There is a 12-hour time difference, but employees of Happy Casher communicate with visitors through Zoom and take orders.

The manager of the Japanese restaurant said, “It is a way for small business owners to survive.”

Maeil Kyeongchae

You can read more at the link, but I think something that customers will appreciate is that by ordering through a Zoom worker they likely do not need to leave a tip making the meal more affordable.

Another win for South Korea’s defense industry:

This photo, provided by Hanwha Systems Co. on May 12, 2023, shows a Jose Rizal-class frigate of the Philippine Navy. 

Hanwha Systems Co., the defense and ICT unit of South Korea’s Hanwha Group, said Friday it has won a US$34.5 million contract to supply its combat management system (CMS) to the Philippine Navy. 

Hanwha’s indigenous combat system will be installed in six 2,400-ton offshore patrol vessels, in a deal valued at $29.5 million, the Seoul-based company said in a release. 

The contract also includes the export of the standard digital communications system, known as the tactical data link, worth $5 million. 

A CMS works as the brain of a vessel and is designed to integrate all equipment, like sensors, weapons and communications systems, into one single system to help counter threats more efficiently during combat.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.