Philippines

From deadly floods in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, to antigovernment protests in the Philippines and demonstrations in Italy to show solidarity with Gaza, here is a look at the week in photos.

Tens of thousands of anti-corruption protesters in the Philippines are calling for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to resign. Al Jazeera’s Barnaby Lo explains the allegations from the Manila protest.

In the Philippines, a massive corruption scandal is triggering street protests and putting pressure on the government of Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The population’s increasing exposure to typhoons, floods and rising sea-levels has seen the government allocate $9.5bn of taxpayer funds to more than 9,800 flood-control projects in the last three years.

But recent audits reveal widespread cases of structures being grossly incomplete or non-existent.

Multiple government officials are accused of pocketing huge kickbacks, funding lavish lifestyles.

101 East investigates how the most vulnerable are being flooded by corruption in the Philippines.

Recently, former National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) director general Karl Kendrick Chua said that the Philippines is standing at a “critical juncture” that could determine whether the country finally attains sustained high growth or once again falls into a cycle of lost opportunities.

Speaking during a Makati Business Club briefing, Chua, who now serves as a managing director at Ayala Corp., noted that depending on the policy crafted, the results have been varied. “You have years where the critical juncture led to economic recession or depression. There are years where it led to economic growth,” he added.

The current economic position of the Philippines is the effect of several critical junctures where policy choices either accelerated or derailed long-term development. For example, Chua noted that if the country had avoided the 1983 debt crisis and the 1997–2003 fiscal crisis, per capita income today could have matched or even exceeded Thailand’s. “These crises wiped out decades of growth,” Chua said.

To understand the magnitudes involved, it is instructive to go beyond these remarks. So, let’s take a closer look at these past losses and the more recent ones.

Debt, fiscal and corruption crises            

Starting in 1983, the debt crisis penalized the Philippine GDP for a decade.

Let’s assume that the economic trends that had prevailed prior to the crisis would have prevailed without a crisis. In this view, it was only after the early 1990s, that the Philippines GDP first got to level where it had first been 10 years before. In economic terms, the debt crisis was a lost decade.

Adding the cumulative losses, it cost the economy over $152 billion.

What about the fiscal crisis?

Starting in the mid-1990s, this crisis penalized the GDP until 2011. Again, let’s assume that the economic trend that had prevailed before the fiscal crisis would have prevailed without a crisis. In this view, it was only in the early 2010s that the Philippines GDP got to the level where it had first been almost two decades before.

Adding the cumulative losses, it cost the economy over $630 billion – over four times more than the prior crisis.

Although flood-control corruption is an old challenge, the present crisis associated with it – assuming the critics are right – moved to a new level after 2022. In that case, assuming the present trends prevail, it could penalize the GDP by more than $191 billion by 2028.

Notice that in the case of the debt and fiscal crises, we have historical economic data that allows us to test counterfactuals. Whereas in the case of the flood-control corruption, we are comparing economic performances in the Duterte years (2016-2022) and in the projected Marcos Jr. years (2022-28), in order to assess the economic value of missed opportunities.

The Costs of Three Crises. GDP, current prices; in billions of U.S. dollars. Source: IMF/WEO, author

Losses of almost $1 trillion in four decades        

In a current project, I am examining the economic development of most world economies from the 19^th century up to 2050. The kind of losses that the Philippines has suffered are typical to conflict-prone nations, but somewhat unique in countries that should benefit from peacetime conditions.

The lost opportunities and economic value associated with these crises indicate that in the past 45 years or so, the Philippine GDP has under-performed far more often than it has engaged in more optimal growth.

That translates to missed opportunities of massive magnitude, in light of the size of the economy. All things considered, these losses could amount to more than $970 billion.

Overcoming misguided and self-interested economic policies that serve the few at the expense of the many is vital in a nation, where poverty and food security is the nightmare of every second household.

Pressing need for development and smart diplomacy

According to public surveys, the national priority issues are topped by the need to control the rise in prices of basic goods and services (48%) and fighting corruption (31%). Other major concerns are also domestic featuring affordable food (31%), improving wages (27%), and reducing poverty (23%).

These are all pressing domestic, bread-and-butter issues. And yet, although foreign policy issues represent a fraction in popular national priorities, much of the country’s policy attention and resources have been allocated to precisely such priorities.

Of course, the country should insist on its national interest, but that interest should be defined by the needs of the many, not by the priorities of the few. And that should mean focus on inflation control, corruption, food security, rising wages and poverty reduction.

Most Southeast Asian nations have elevated their economic fortunes by accelerated economic development and smart regional diplomacy. There is no reason why the Philippines couldn’t or shouldn’t do the same.

Most Filipinos would certainly agree.

*Author’s note: The original version was published by The Manila Times on November 24, 2025

Ministers implicated in scandal involving misused and stolen funds earmarked for anti-flooding infrastructure.

Two ministers in Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s cabinet resigned on Tuesday after being implicated in an ongoing investigation into “ghost” infrastructure and billions of dollars of missing government funds, deepening a crisis facing the country’s government over the corruption scandal.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Department of Budget and Management Secretary Amenah Pangandaman have both stepped down from their posts, presidential palace press officer Claire Castro said on Tuesday.

Castro said the pair chose to resign “after their departments were mentioned in allegations related to the flood control anomaly” and “in recognition of the responsibility to allow the administration to address the matter appropriately,” according to The Philippines Inquirer newspaper.

Bersamin and Pangandaman are the highest-ranking members of the Marcos government to be hit directly by the corruption scandal since it broke in July, according to Aries Arugay, an expert in Philippines politics and a visiting senior fellow at Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.

Marcos himself has managed to stay above the fray – for now – although Arugay said that could change at any time.

“At the moment, the palace is trying to take the president out of this, and this is why you have the ‘resignations’ of the executive secretary, the budget secretary. They’re the ones accepting command responsibility over this,” he told Al Jazeera.

Arugay said Marcos Jr still has a “comfortable” majority in the legislature because many MPs still prefer him to leadership under Vice President Sara Duterte, but “all bets are off” should more evidence emerge.

Earlier this week, politician Zaldy Co – who is currently not in the Philippines – alleged that Marcos directed him to add $1.7bn to the budget for “dubious public works” while he headed an appropriations committee, according to The South China Morning Post, although the claims have not been verified.

Co was among the first group of officials to be charged this week for their role in the corruption scandal following a months-long investigation, according to The Philippines Inquirer.

The scandal has engulfed the Philippines since Marcos Jr revealed in a speech to Congress earlier this year that billions of dollars of public funds for anti-flooding infrastructure had been siphoned off by private contractors to build substandard infrastructure – and in some cases, none at all.

The Philippines is regularly hit by typhoons and other tropical storms, and flooding remains a perennial and often deadly problem.

The corruption scandal has set off mass protests across the Philippines, including a demonstration on Sunday that drew 500,000 people to Manila.

More than half a million Filipinos rallied in the capital Manila on Sunday to demand accountability for a government corruption scandal that has triggered a series of protests since August.

Sunday’s protest is part of a three-day rally organised by the Philippine sect Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ). The show of force on Sunday by the influential religious bloc, popularly referred to by its acronym INC, is a complete reversal from its support of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, whom it endorsed in the 2022 presidential race.

Central to the ongoing protest is the church’s demand for a “proper and transparent” investigation into the alleged misuse of multibillion-dollar funds for flood control projects under Marcos’s watch.

But it also exposes the escalating fight for political power between Marcos and his former ally and running-mate, Vice President Sara Duterte, whom the religious group continues to support. Marcos and Duterte had a dramatic falling out just several months after their landslide victory.

The corruption scandal has only turbocharged the political feud between the country’s two highest elected leaders and turned into calls for Marcos’s removal before his term ends in 2028.

The removal movement is being led by supporters of Duterte as well as some elements of the INC and other groups. The INC insists it is not joining calls for Marcos’s removal, but the presence of its members on the streets of Manila means they are a formidable force to reckon with.

Why are people protesting in the Philippines?

The outrage over so-called ghost infrastructure and flood control projects has been mounting in the Southeast Asian country since Marcos put the issue centre stage in a July state of the nation address that followed weeks of deadly flooding.

Government engineers, public works officials and construction company executives have testified under oath in Congressional hearings that members of Congress and public works officials took kickbacks from construction companies to help them win lucrative contracts by rigging the bidding process.

According to government data, the equivalent of $26bn was spent on flood control and mitigation programmes over the last 15 years. Of that amount, officials testified that at least 25 to 30 percent has been funnelled as kickbacks.

So far, the government has only managed to freeze $3bn in assets suspected of being linked to the huge bribery scheme.

A series of televised investigations and Congressional hearings detailing the alleged corruption further heightened public anger.

Many have criticised Marcos for acting too slowly to stop the corruption, if not for tolerating those deals carried out by his political allies, including his cousin, the once-powerful Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Last week, a former congressman and a deputy of Romualdez, who fled the country after being implicated over millions of dollars in missing infrastructure funds, released a video claiming Marcos himself was involved, something the administration has derided as “wild speculation”.

What has been the toll of the floods?

Sunday’s protests come on the heels of two powerful typhoons that left more than 250 people dead, many due to flooding and failed flood control infrastructure.

They also come just days after Marcos promised arrests in the corruption case before Christmas.

What is the INC?

The INC, which claims nearly three million members, was founded in 1914 in the Philippines by Felix Manalo, a former devout Catholic and Methodist convert.

In comparison, the predominant Catholic Church has an estimated 86 million followers.

Unlike mainstream religious groups, which adhere to the principle of the division of church and state, the INC endorses candidates during elections and encourages its members to vote as a bloc, making it a potent political force.

In 2022, it endorsed the Marcos-Duterte tandem during the elections. In 2016, its leadership also endorsed Rodrigo Duterte before his win.

When the Marcos-Duterte alliance broke up, the INC sided with Duterte.

In January this year, the INC held a huge rally in Manila opposing Vice President Duterte’s impeachment, which was seen as having the silent endorsement of Marcos.

During the almost 20-year rule of Marcos’s father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr, the INC was also seen as a supporter of his presidency.

Despite their political differences, Marcos declared a special non-working holiday to celebrate the INC’s 111th founding anniversary on July 27, 2025, demonstrating what observers point to as the group’s enormous political clout.

“The influential Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) is not missing a beat,” political analyst Alex Magno wrote in a recent column in the Philippine Star newspaper.

What are the demands of the INC-led protest?

The INC-led protest, which has been scheduled for three days from Sunday, November 16 to Tuesday, November 18, is demanding “proper and transparent” investigation of the corruption scandal and “better democracy”.

“A lot of people are getting flooded because of the corruption, and as a result people are dying,” Edwina Kamatoy, one of the protesters, told Al Jazeera’s Barnaby Lo, who is reporting from Manila.

Aries Cortez, another protester, complained that the government investigation so far is being selective and “is not going anywhere”.

The protest is being held at the Quirino Grandstand by the Manila Bay in the Philippine capital.

As of 08:00 GMT on Monday, the second day of the protest, an estimated 300,000 protesters have gathered at the park, according to the Manila risk reduction and management office.

On Sunday, the Philippine National Police said they are deploying at least 15,000 personnel throughout the duration of the protest.

The protesters say they are not demanding the ouster of Marcos. But many in their ranks have openly expressed their disdain for the Marcos presidency, particularly after the ICC arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Who are the other groups currently protesting against Marcos?

About 2,000 people, including retired generals, held a separate anticorruption protest late on Sunday at the “People Power” monument in suburban Quezon City.

The smaller group of protesters, many of whom are identified as Duterte supporters, are calling for the outright resignation of Marcos from the presidency.

According to the police, up to 30,000 anti-Marcos protesters are expected at the site on Monday afternoon. But as of 08:00 GMT on Monday, only 3,000 protesters have showed up, according to News 5 television channel.

The centre-left political bloc and their civic and religious allies have pointedly skipped the rally, wary that it would only lead to the return of Duterte to power.

On Sunday, they held a separate “Run Against Corruption” protest at the University of the Philippines. Their group have also been staging smaller marches every Friday.

The previous protest in September, which also attracted hundreds of thousands of protesters, was mainly led by that centre-left bloc that called itself the “Trillion Peso March Movement”.

A separate and smaller group of protesters also managed to stage its own march near the presidential palace that day, leading to a violent police crackdown that resulted in at least one death, several injuries and dozens of arrests.

In recent days, the Catholic Church has also issued a statement calling for transparency in government, but warned against “unconstitutional” means to achieve justice.

How is the government reacting to the protest?

In a radio interview on Monday, Presidential Spokesman Dave Gomez dismissed as “a very small group” those who want Marcos to be kicked out of office, adding that those calling for the president’s resignation are likely to be implicated in the ongoing probe.

Gomez also said the government is monitoring people who are seeking to destabilise it.

He dismissed the recent allegations of former Congressman Zaldy Co, who directly implicated the president in the bribery case.

“As the president said, he will not even dignify the accusations,” Gomez added, pointing to the “numerous loopholes” in them.

Late on Monday, the Palace announced that Marcos’s executive secretary and budget secretary had resigned, after both officials were accused of having links to the bribery scandal.

How will it affect Marcos Jr’s government?

While Filipinos are united in anger towards the Marcos administration, they are sharply divided on the calls for the president’s removal.

Some are wary that a takeover by Vice President Sara Duterte would not lead to any substantive change, given that she is also facing allegations of corruption.

A wide philosophical disparity between the two opposition forces, however, has prevented them from uniting against Marcos. More often, the centre-left bloc has emerged as fiercely more anti-Duterte than anti-Marcos, putting them in a sometimes awkward political position.

In a statement before the INC-led protest, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr also made it clear that the military will not support any efforts to subvert the constitution, making Marcos’s removal from office unlikely.

What’s next?

Meanwhile, the so-called Trillion Peso March Movement, which organised the September 21 anticorruption rally in Manila, has announced that it will hold its own rally on November 30.

The group said it aims to “transform a prayer rally into a movement” for the prosecution of all those involved in the ongoing corruption scandal.

The group is seen as a defender of the 1987 Constitution that helped pave the way for the restoration of democracy in the country of more than 110 million people.

Protests come amid widespread anger over billions of pesos spent on substandard or non-existent flood control infrastructure.

Tens of thousands of people are gathering in the Philippines’ capital, Manila, demanding accountability over a corruption scandal linked to flood-control projects and top government officials, including allies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The three-day rally, which begins on Sunday, is the latest display of outrage over the discovery that thousands of flood defence projects across the typhoon-prone country were made from substandard materials or simply did not exist.

Police estimated that 27,000 members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, or Church of Christ, gathered in Manila’s Rizal Park before noon, many wearing white and carrying anticorruption placards, for the afternoon demonstration.

Brother Edwin Zabala, spokesman for the church, said the three-day rally is aimed at expressing “our sentiment and lend the voice of the Iglesia ni Cristo to the calls of many of our countrymen condemning the enormous evil involving many government officials”.

Other groups were scheduled to hold a separate anticorruption protest later on Sunday at the People Power Monument in suburban Quezon city.

The country’s military reaffirmed support for the government before the planned demonstrations in Manila, where the Philippine National Police say they will deploy 15,000 police as security.

The protests follow allegations that numerous well-connected figures, including Marcos’s cousin and former House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez, pocketed large sums for anti-flooding projects that were low in quality or never completed at all.

Public outrage has flared again after recent storms hammered large swaths of the country earlier this month and left at least 259 people dead, and Marcos has promised that those implicated in the scandal would be in jail before the Christmas holiday.

The Department of Finance has estimated that the country lost up to 118.5 billion pesos ($2bn) to corruption in flood-control projects between 2023 and 2025, some of them referred to as “ghost infrastructure projects”.

A fact-finding commission has filed criminal complaints for corruption against 37 people, including senators, members of Congress, and wealthy businesspeople. Criminal complaints have also been filed against 86 construction company executives and nine government officials for allegedly evading nearly 9 billion pesos ($153m) in taxes.

Among those accused are lawmakers opposed to and allied with Marcos. In addition to Romualdez, these include Senate President Chiz Escudero, as well as Senator Bong Go, a key ally of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

All three have denied wrongdoing.

Marcos has said his cousin will not face criminal charges “as yet” due to a lack of evidence, but added that “no one is exempt” from the investigation.

“We don’t file cases for optics,” he said. “We file cases to put people in jail.”

Duterte, a harsh Marcos critic, was detained by the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands in March for alleged crimes against humanity over his brutal anti-drug crackdowns.

His daughter, the current vice president, said Marcos should also be held accountable and jailed for approving the 2025 national budget, which appropriated billions for flood control projects.

There have been isolated calls, including by some pro-Duterte supporters, for the military to withdraw support from Marcos, but Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, General Romeo Brawner Jr, has repeatedly rejected those calls.

“With full conviction, I assure the public that the armed forces will not engage in any action that violates the Constitution. Not today, not tomorrow and certainly not under my watch,” Brawner said.

The military “remains steadfast in preserving peace, supporting lawful civic expression and protecting the stability and democratic institutions of the republic”, he added.

Jessilou Morigo-Tanguilan of Plan International Philippines explains how Typhoon Fung-wong has affected millions of people in the Philippines, leaving behind a path of destruction.

As typhoon Tino (Kalmaegi, internationally) left over 200 Filipinos dead while affecting nearly 2 million people, President Marcos Jr declared “a state of national calamity.”

After the super typhoon Uwan (Fung-Wong) will add to the devastation, mass protests against huge flood control corruption are expected in the country.

In 2022, the Marcos Jr government pledged it would build on the legacy of the Duterte years and make Filipinos more prosperous and more secure. Critics claim both objectives have failed.

Billions of dollars lost to corruption                      

On July 27, Senator Panfilo Lacson warned that half of the 2 trillion pesos ($17 billion) allocated to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for flood control projects may have been lost to corruption in the past 15 years.

And yet, almost in parallel, President Marcos Jr stated his administration had implemented over 5,500 flood control projects and announced new plans amounting to more than $10 billion over the next 13 years.

Ever since then, Manila’s political class has been swept by allegations on corruption, mismanagement, and irregularities in government-funded flood management projects. In August, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee launched a high-profile investigation into the irregularities, focusing on the “ghost” projects, license renting schemes and contractor monopolies.

Corruption has long been pervasive in Philippine politics, economy and society. In the Corruption Perception Index, the country has consistently scored among the worst in the region. Even in peacetime, it is at par with the civil war-torn Sierra Leone and oil-cursed Angola.

In the era of former President Duterte, corruption fight was spotlighted. Now it thrives again. According to surveys, 81% of Filipinos believe corruption has worsened since martial law was declared 53 years ago. It is compounding misguided economic policies.

Rising trade deficits, slowing investment                            

In the Duterte era, exports were led by electronics, with significant growth in tourism and business process outsourcing. Those times are now gone.

In the Duterte era, the effort was to attract multinationals, particularly Chinese firms, to serve as anchor companies that would foster Philippine suppliers. But due to the government’s geopolitics, Chinese – and increasingly Western – multinationals see too much economic and geopolitical risk in the country. And so, the investments that could have come to the Philippines have gone to Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand in the region.

Recently, even US Investment Climate Statement for the Philippines highlighted persistent corruption, a slow and opaque bureaucracy, and poor infrastructure as major disincentives to investors.

Lagging tourism                             

In Southeast Asia, Chinese tourism has played a vital role in the post-pandemic recovery. Before the pandemic, Chinese tourists accounted for 40-60% of the regional total.

Subsequently, regional recovery was fueled by Chinese tourism. The only exception? The Philippines.

In 2019, Chinese tourist arrivals in the country soared to over 1.7 million. As of September 2025, the Philippines has reported less than 204,000 Chinese arrivals for the year, a figure that is far, far below the government target. The country was banking on a 2-million visitors from China.

The sharp decline is attributed to geopolitical tensions, the suspension of the e-visa program, even safety concerns.

Even if the 2025 total would climb closer to 300,000, that would be just 15-20% of the 2019 level. It’s a catastrophic missed opportunity.

Sources: Trade deficits: Author, Philippine Statistics Authority; Tourism: Author, National Statistical Coordination Board Philippines; Exchange rate: Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas

BPO outsourcing at risk               

Digital economy is a major component of the GDP. But in the absence of domestic ICT anchor firms, the sector is at the mercy of Western offshoring. And that spells huge trouble at a time, when the West prioritizes trade wars, as evidenced by Manila’s costly losses in US tariff wars.

Meanwhile, geopolitics has alienated investments by Chinese ICT giants, which could have catalyzed ICT ecosystems in the country.

And there’s worse ahead. The Philippine outsourcing sector is a $30 billion industry that accounts for 7% of the Philippines’ GDP and commands 15% of the global market. Yet, one-third of its jobs in the Philippines are at risk from artificial intelligence (AI), with those in the BPO sector most vulnerable. Sadly, college-educated, young, urban, female, and well-paid workers in the services sector will be most exposed.

In addition to AI, US protectionist initiatives could perfect the jobs devastation in the Philippine outsourcing industry. Introduced in July, the bipartisan “Keep Call Centers in America Act” proposes to penalize US companies that offshore a significant portion of their call center jobs. The recent Halting International Relocation of Employment Act (HIRE Act) aims to curb outsourcing by imposing a 25% excise tax on payments to foreign workers.

If these realities kick in, US vulture capitalists can be expected to target and short the Philippines, which could compound challenges, as in the past.

Economic growth, missed opportunities                             

In early 2024, US news agency Bloomberg asked President Marcos Jr whether the Philippines could achieve an 8% growth rate. “Why not?” the president replied. “Yes, I think it is, I think it is doable.”

Yet, at the time, GDP year-on-year growth decelerated to barely 5.2%.

Have things got better? No.

In 2025, the government’s target was reduced to 5.5-6.5%. Just weeks ago, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) downgraded the Philippine growth projection to 5.4% this year. More recently, economic growth slowed to just 4.0% in the third quarter – the slowest since early 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic caused a contraction.

Unsurprisingly, critics claim the incumbent economic policies have failed. Here’s a thought experiment about the extent of that failure. During the Duterte era, Philippine GDP increased from $329 billion to $404 billion, despite the pandemic plunge. On the back of that performance, IMF expected Philippine GDP to climb close to $640 billion by 2028.

Current IMF estimates suggest that by 2028, Philippine GDP would be less than $560 billion. So, the government is set to underperform by $80 billion.

That’s the cost of missed opportunities – although the final cost could prove higher.

Source: Author, data from IMF

Nearly a million people have evacuated their homes in the Philippines as the country braced for another powerful storm, days after a typhoon killed at least 224 people.

The storm, named Fung-wong, started battering northeastern Philippines on Sunday before its expected landfall, knocking down power and prompting warnings from the weather bureau of a “high risk of life-threatening conditions” in parts of the country.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Fung-wong, locally known as Uwan, is forecast to make landfall in Aurora province as early as Sunday night with maximum sustained winds of up to 185 kilometres per hour (115 miles per hour) and gusts of up to 230km/h (143mph).

It raised the highest alert level, Signal No 5, for southeastern and central areas, including Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, and Aurora province, while Metro Manila and nearby provinces were under Signal No 3.

Fung-wong, which could cover two-thirds of the Southeast Asian archipelago with its 1,600km (994-mile-) wide rain and wind band, was approaching from the Pacific while the Philippines was still dealing with the devastation wrought by Typhoon Kalmaegi, which left at least 224 people dead in central island provinces on Tuesday before pummeling Vietnam, where at least five were killed.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has declared a state of emergency due to the extensive devastation caused by Kalmaegi and the expected calamity from Fung-wong, which is called Uwan in the Philippines.

Tropical cyclones with sustained winds of 185km/h (115mph) or higher are categorised in the Philippines as a super typhoon, a designation adopted years ago to underscore the urgency tied to more extreme weather disturbances.

More than 916,860 people were evacuated from high-risk villages in northeastern provinces, including in Bicol, a coastal region vulnerable to Pacific cyclones and mudflows from Mayon, one of the country’s most active volcanoes.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr, who oversees the country’s disaster response agencies and the military, warned about the potentially catastrophic effect of Fung-wong in televised remarks on Saturday.

“We ask that people preemptively evacuate so that we don’t end up having to conduct rescues at the last minute, which could put the lives of police, soldiers, firefighters and coastguard personnel at risk,” he said in a public address.

“We need to do this because when it’s already raining or the typhoon has hit and flooding has started, it’s hard to rescue people,” he added.

Teodoro said the storm could affect a vast expanse of the country, including Cebu, the central province hit hardest by Typhoon Kalmaegi, and metropolitan Manila, the densely populated capital region, which is the seat of power and the country’s financial centre.

More than 30 million people could be exposed to hazards posed by Fung-wong, the Office of Civil Defense said.

In Isabela in northern Luzon, dozens of families were sheltering in a basketball court repurposed as an evacuation centre.

“We heard on the news that the typhoon is very strong, so we evacuated early,” said Christopher Sanchez, 50, who fled with his family.

“We left our things on the roofs of our house since every time there’s a storm, we come here because we live right next to the river,” he told the Reuters news agency. “In previous storms, the floodwaters rose above human height.

“We’re scared,” he said. “We’re here with our grandchildren and our kids. The whole family is in the evacuation area.”

Authorities in northern provinces to be hit or sideswiped by Fung-wong have meanwhile preemptively declared the shutdown of schools and most government offices on Monday and Tuesday. At least 325 domestic and 61 international flights have been cancelled over the weekend and into Monday, and more than 6,600 commuters and cargo workers were stranded in at least 109 seaports, where the coastguard prohibited ships from venturing into rough seas.

Authorities warned of a “high risk of life-threatening and damaging storm surge” of more than 3 metres (10 feet) along the coasts of more than 20 provinces and regions, including metropolitan Manila.

The Philippines is battered by about 20 typhoons and storms each year. The country is also often hit by earthquakes and has more than a dozen active volcanoes, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.

Nov. 8 (UPI) — The Philippines is under high alert as Typhoon Fung-Wong is forecast to strengthen and make landfall on Luzon as soon as Sunday evening.

The Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council issued its highest alert in anticipation of the storm making landfall and lashing the Philippines with high winds and heavy rainfall from Sunday through Tuesday.

“This is our highest state of readiness,” Civil Defense Director George Keyser said during an emergency meeting.

“The volume of rain could be unprecedented, even if the eye makes landfall far north,” Keyser said.

He said forecasters are unsure of how much rain to expect, which requires coordination among 17 local governments and national governmental agencies to handle the storm’s impacts.

“Sunday afternoon through Monday night is critical,” Keyser said. “We must clear streets for search-and-rescue and relief efforts.”

The alert helps to ensure the readiness of 486 traffic enforcers, 130 flood control teams, and 40 road emergency crews, in addition to K-9 units, according to the Philippine Information Agency.

It also activates full response protocols for flood control at 71 pumping stations, video monitoring of 85 critical sites, and the immediate deployment of boats, cranes, payloaders and buses for evacuations as needed.

The Philippines are recovering from Tuesday’s strike by Typhoon Kalmaegi, which killed nearly 200 in the Central Philippines, plus another five in Vietnam, CNN reported.

That storm was the 20th cyclone of 2025 and was the deadliest so far as it passed over the Philippines and made landfall eight times across the archipelago before moving on to Vietnam.

Fung-Wong might prove to be stronger, with wind speeds forecast to reach 115 mph before striking the eastern Philippines as soon as Sunday evening local time.

The typhoon’s mass covers 932 miles and already is impacting the eastern portion of the Philippines with strong winds and heavy rainfall.

Fung-Wong is forecast to pass over the northwestern Philippines while moving northwesterly before turning north on Tuesday and the northeasterly toward Taiwan.

Heavy flooding in Talisay City, Cebu has destroyed homes after Typhoon Kalmaegi dumped a month’s worth of rain. One person died in a low-income area that evacuated early, while dozens may be trapped in a nearby subdivision where residents did not leave. Al Jazeera’s Barnaby Lo is there.

Aerial footage from the Philippines shows the destruction wrought on homes and streets by Typhoon Kalmaegi.

It was one of the strongest typhoons in the Philippines this year.

At least 85 people have died in the flooding and another 75 are missing. The floodwaters swept shipping containers through the streets and cars have been left in piles.

Residents say the powerful storm brought ‘raging’ flash floods that destroyed homes, overturned cars and blocked streets.

Residents of the central Philippines have slowly begun cleanup efforts after powerful Typhoon Kalmaegi swept through the region, killing at least 85 people and leaving dozens missing.

Scenes of widescale destruction emerged in the hard-hit province of Cebu on Wednesday as the storm receded, revealing ravaged homes, overturned vehicles and streets blocked with piles of debris.

Among the 85 deaths were six military personnel whose helicopter crashed in Agusan del Sur on the island of Mindanao during a humanitarian mission. The country’s disaster agency also reported 75 people missing, and 17 injured.

In Cebu City, Marlon Enriquez, 58, was trying to salvage what was left of his family’s belongings as he scraped off the thick mud coating his house.

“This was the first time that has happened to us,” he told the Reuters news agency. “I’ve been living here for almost 16 years, and it was the first time I’ve experienced flooding [like this].”

Another resident, 53-year-old Reynaldo Vergara, said his small shop in the city of Mandaue, also in Cebu province, had been lost when a nearby river overflowed.

“Around four or five in the morning, the water was so strong that you couldn’t even step outside,” he told the AFP news agency. “Nothing like this has ever happened. The water was raging.”

The storm hit as Cebu province was still recovering from a 6.9-magnitude earthquake last month that killed dozens of people and displaced thousands.

The area around Cebu City was deluged with 183mm (seven inches) of rain in the 24 hours before Kalmaegi’s landfall, well over its 131mm (five-inch) monthly average, according to weather specialist Charmagne Varilla.

The massive rainfall set off flash floods and caused a river and other waterways to swell. More than 200,000 people were evacuated across the wider Visayas region, which includes Cebu Island and parts of southern Luzon and northern Mindanao.

Before noon on Wednesday, Kalmaegi blew away from western Palawan province into the South China Sea with sustained winds of up to 130km per hour (81 miles per hour) and gusts of up to 180km/h (112mph), according to forecasters.

The storm is forecast to gain strength while over the South China Sea before making its way to Vietnam, where preparations are under way in advance of Kalmaegi’s expected landfall on Friday.

China has warned of a “catastrophic wave process” in the South China Sea and activated maritime disaster emergency response in its southernmost province of Hainan, state broadcaster CCTV said.

Cars and shipping containers were washed away by floods caused by Typhoon Kalmaegi in the Philippines, where thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate their homes.

More than 70,000 people ordered to leave their homes as forecasters warn of torrential rains, strong winds and storm surges.

Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate from coastal areas in the eastern Philippines before Typhoon Kalmaegi’s expected landfall.

Forecasters have warned of torrential rains, storm surges of up to 3 metres (10ft) and wind gusts of up to 150km/h (93mph) as the centre of the storm was expected to come ashore on Monday.

More than 70,000 people in the coastal towns of Guiuan and Salcedo on Samar Island and Mercedes in Camarines Norte province were ordered to move to evacuation centres or buildings certified as sturdy enough to withstand the impact of the typhoon. Authorities also prohibited fishermen from venturing out to sea in the east-central region.

The storm is predicted to make landfall in either Guiuan or nearby municipalities.

Guiuan is no stranger to typhoons. It was badly hit in November 2013 when one of the most powerful tropical cyclones on record smashed into the Philippines. The storm left more than 7,300 people dead or missing and displaced over four million people.

Human-driven climate change

Kalmaegi is forecast to travel westwards overnight before hitting central island provinces on Tuesday. This includes Cebu, which is still recovering from a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in September.

The Philippines is battered by about 20 typhoons and storms annually, and scientists are warning that they are becoming more powerful due to human-driven climate change.

The archipelago was hit by two major storms in September, including Super Typhoon Ragasa, which toppled trees, tore the roofs off buildings and killed 14 people in neighbouring Taiwan.

The Philippines is also regularly shaken by earthquakes and has more than a dozen active volcanoes, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.

China has frequently accused the Philippines of acting as a ‘troublemaker’ and ‘saboteur of regional stability’.

The Philippines and Canada have signed a defence pact to expand joint military drills and deepen security cooperation in a move widely seen as a response to China’s growing assertiveness in the region, most notably in the disputed South China Sea.

Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr and Canadian Defence Minister David McGuinty inked the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) on Sunday after a closed-door meeting in Manila.

McGuinty said the deal would strengthen joint training, information sharing, and coordination during humanitarian crises and natural disasters.

Teodoro described the pact as vital for upholding what he called a rules-based international order in the Asia-Pacific, where he accused China of expansionism. “Who is hegemonic? Who wants to expand their territory in the world? China,” he told reporters.

The agreement provides the legal framework for Canadian troops to take part in military exercises in the Philippines and vice versa. It mirrors similar accords Manila has signed with the United States, Australia, Japan and New Zealand.

China has not yet commented on the deal, but it has frequently accused the Philippines of being a “troublemaker” and “saboteur of regional stability” after joint patrols and military exercises with its Western allies in the South China Sea.

Beijing claims almost the entire waterway, a vital global shipping lane, thereby ignoring a 2016 international tribunal ruling that dismissed its territorial claims as unlawful. Chinese coastguard vessels have repeatedly used water cannon and blocking tactics against Philippine ships, leading to collisions and injuries.

Teodoro used a regional defence ministers meeting in Malaysia over the weekend to condemn China’s declaration of a “nature reserve” around the contested Scarborough Shoal, which Manila also claims.

“This, to us, is a veiled attempt to wield military might and the threat of force, undermining the rights of smaller countries and their citizens who rely on the bounty of these waters,” he said.

Talks are under way by the Philippines for similar defence agreements with France, Singapore, Britain, Germany and India as Manila continues to fortify its defence partnerships amid rising tensions with Beijing.

Marilyn Hubalde recalls the fear of local residents in Batanes, Philippines, when they first heard military helicopters during joint exercises with U. S. troops in April 2023. Hubalde’s helper even hid in the woods, thinking war had begun. The military drills, part of increased U. S.-Philippines cooperation, involve airlifting anti-ship missile launchers to the islands, marking a significant shift for the once-peaceful province.

Situated near Taiwan, Batanes is now seen as a frontline region in the competition between the U. S. and China for influence in Asia. The province is close to the Bashi Channel, an important shipping route between the Philippines and Taiwan, which connects the South China Sea to the Western Pacific. The recent exercises highlighted how both countries plan to use ground-based missiles to prevent Chinese naval access in potential conflicts.

Experts emphasize that denying Chinese control of the Bashi Channel is crucial, as it could decide the outcome of any conflict. Retired military officials state that controlling the northern Philippines is essential for any Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which China claims as its territory. President Xi Jinping has stated that China may use force to assert control over Taiwan, a position Taiwan’s government rejects, insisting that its future is for its people to determine.

China’s foreign ministry has warned the Philippines against involving external forces and escalating tensions in the South China Sea, calling Taiwan an internal issue that should not involve outside interference. The Pentagon and Taiwan’s defense ministry did not provide comments on these developments.

Using the ‘First Island Chain’

American military deployments in Batanes are part of a broader Pentagon strategy focused on using the Philippines’ geographic position to deter or counter Chinese military actions towards Taiwan and other areas in the South China Sea. The Philippines, consisting of over 7,600 islands and vital maritime chokepoints, is essential to the “First Island Chain,” which comprises territories controlled by U. S. allies, forming a barrier against China’s expanding navy. Rear Admiral Roy Trinidad of the Philippine Navy stated that the archipelago serves as a crucial gateway between the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

The U. S. aims to ensure this gateway remains secure, despite uncertainties about American security commitments under President Donald Trump. Efforts have intensified since President Joe Biden took office to strengthen defense collaboration with the Philippines. Recent reports indicate an evolving and permanent U. S. military presence in the country, characterized by joint exercises and ongoing training, reversing an earlier period after the U. S. left its military base at Subic Bay in 1992.

In a meeting between Philippine Armed Forces chief General Romeo Brawner and U. S. Indo-Pacific Command head Admiral Samuel Paparo, the two sides agreed to more than 500 joint engagements for 2026, covering various military activities. U. S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth highlighted a focus on enhancing capabilities to counter Chinese aggression in the First Island Chain, noting that training activities with the Philippines are increasing in scale and duration.

The cooperation under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is vital for containing Chinese forces, especially in a potential conflict scenario. Marcos has stated that should war arise over Taiwan, the Philippines would be inevitably involved, while also emphasizing the desire to avoid conflict. The Philippine defense ministry expressed confidence in the commitments made by the Trump administration.

China’s recent military movements demonstrate the importance of the Bashi Channel for its Pacific strategies. The region has seen enhanced Chinese naval activity, including exercises near Japan, which highlight its ambitions. In response to Chinese “gray-zone” warfare aimed at the Philippines, which involves intimidation tactics against Philippine vessels, the military has reported unauthorized incursions by Chinese ships into Philippine waters. The defense ministry asserts that these actions challenge international law and reflect China’s desire to reshape the global order. China’s foreign ministry did not provide responses regarding these tactics.

War Jitters in Batanes

Communities near key military passages in the archipelago feel vulnerable due to preparations for conflict. In Batanes, residents, like Hubalde, rushed to buy essential supplies like rice, oil, sugar, and milk when military exercises began. The islands heavily depend on regular shipments from the mainland for food, fuel, and medical supplies.

Provincial Governor Ronald “Jun” Aguto Jr. said that the community has adapted to the military presence, which initially caused alarm and panic buying. Aguto is now focused on updating the provincial contingency plan to prepare for a potential influx of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Taiwan during a conflict. There are around 200,000 Filipinos living in Taiwan. He mentioned that Batanes could be used as a launch pad for bringing these workers home, but the islands can support only 20,000 people, requiring a plan to transfer them to the mainland for better sustainability.

The military is developing a rescue plan, according to Commodore Edward Ike De Sagon, the retiring Philippine Navy commander for Northern Luzon. He emphasized that the military is preparing for various scenarios, including handling large numbers of returning workers and possible refugees from Taiwan. The Philippine military has noted Batanes’ strategic location as a potential logistical hub for evacuations and humanitarian responses.

Concerns about being caught in conflict have intensified, especially if China were to attack Taiwan, with fears that Batanes could be targeted. Past military exercises have indicated preparations for potential fighting in the region. Retired politician Florencio Abad urged Manila authorities to reassure the local population regarding plans for managing the impact of conflict, expressing fears about survival in such a scenario. He highlighted the lack of clear communication from the government about evacuating workers from Taiwan or plans for potential refugees. The Philippine defense ministry stated that it is working on contingency and repatriation plans but did not provide details.

Missiles ‘Designed to Close a Strait’

Locals are concerned about potential conflict as the U. S. and the Philippines conduct annual military drills named Balikatan, which includes the deployment of U. S. Marines and new missile systems. The U. S. brought the NMESIS ground-based anti-ship missile launcher to Batanes, capable of launching the Naval Strike Missile with a range over 300 kilometers. This missile can target hostile warships in the Bashi Channel, providing “sea denial capability,” which is crucial for controlling access to this strait.

In late May, more drills occurred with the NMESIS system moved secretly into position for simulated strikes while U. S. and Philippine marines practiced key area operations. Not long after the NMESIS was deployed, China’s aircraft carrier Shandong entered the Western Pacific through the Bashi Channel for military exercises, spotlighting the strategic importance of this maritime route. China also deployed its other carrier, the Liaoning, similarly entering from the Miyako Strait, as both aimed to enhance their naval capabilities. Japan’s military anticipates that in a conflict, it would prevent Chinese access through certain straits, making the Bashi Channel vital for China.

The Philippine military described China’s naval activities as part of aggressive and illegal regional tactics. Meanwhile, the U. S. Army deployed Typhon launchers in Luzon, armed with powerful anti-ship missiles, which can hit targets deep into China, even as Manila expressed a willingness for further deployments despite Chinese objections.

China condemned the U. S. and Philippines’ military exercises and deployment of offensive weapons as destabilizing. The Philippine military clarified that these missile systems are for training and deterrence, not aimed specifically at any country, and operational security prevents them from confirming the locations of such systems. The military maintained that the presence of these missiles during exercises was temporary and not intended to close any maritime routes like the Bashi Channel.

If China doesn’t like it, ‘we’re doing it right’

Senior Philippine defense officials believe that China’s negative reaction indicates it sees the new anti-ship missiles as a significant threat. Retired Admiral Ong noted that disapproval from China means the Philippines is on the right track. The Philippine military recently acquired BrahMos supersonic anti-ship missiles from India, intended to give ground forces the ability to strike Chinese vessels and land targets while staying hidden. This approach helps avoid the vulnerability of fixed military bases to Chinese attacks.

Joint military exercises with the U. S., Japan, and Australia are being conducted to prepare for potential blockades in key maritime routes in the Philippines, such as the Mindoro Strait and the Balabac Strait. The Marcos administration has also allowed the U. S. access to four new military sites in northern Luzon, expanding military cooperation.

U. S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed America’s defense commitments to the Philippines shortly after President Trump took office and exempted funds for Philippine security force modernization from an overseas aid freeze. Despite increased military activity, Batanes Governor Aguto believes China is unlikely to attack, as it would escalate into a larger conflict.

However, local residents, like store owner Marilyn Hubalde, are preparing for possible disruptions to their supply chains. They are considering the need to grow their own food should conflict arise, emphasizing the importance of self-sufficiency in uncertain times.

With information from Reuters