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manuel mogato

@ReutersPH

Ex-Reuters correspondent in Manila. Views are my own

 Manila
Joined August 2009
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Photo by manuel mogato (@ReutersPH)Photo by manuel mogato (@ReutersPH)Photo by manuel mogato (@ReutersPH)Photo by manuel mogato (@ReutersPH)Photo by manuel mogato (@ReutersPH)Photo by manuel mogato (@ReutersPH)
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Poland and the Baltic states’ dangerous strategic interests in the West Philippine Sea

Poland and the Baltic states’ dangerous strategic interests in the West Philippine Sea

Ongoing US-Iran conflict and uncertainty in Europe has turned Poland and Baltic nations’ focus to the Indo-Pacific, but geopolitical tensions are sure to follow, Manuel Mogato writes.

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Is the US politicizing the US dollar?

Is the US politicizing the US dollar?

Can the Philippines shift to another currency or return to gold reserves to stabilize the peso? The answer is no.

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ASEAN distributes humanitarian aid to displaced families in Myanmar

ASEAN distributes humanitarian aid to displaced families in Myanmar

The Philippine foreign secretary on Wednesday led the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in distributing humanitarian assistance to displaced families in Myanmar.

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US proposes new security architecture in ASEAN

US proposes new security architecture in ASEAN

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth proposed on Wednesday creating a new Washington-led security architecture framework in Southeast Asia to counter China’s rise in the region.

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Is China abandoning its gray zone tactics?

Is China abandoning its gray zone tactics?

Philippines’ defense sector, with a bare minimum budget for 2027, may continue to struggle in countering Chinas intimidation tactics within the country’s EEZ, Manuel Mogato writes.

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Duterte family amasses properties while in power

Duterte family amasses properties while in power

NBI Director Melvin Matibag said the fact-finding report was based on discrepancies found in the vice president’s SALN for the years 2024 and 2025.

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Philippine military expressed full support for Teodoro against Chinese embassy criticism

Philippine military expressed full support for Teodoro against Chinese embassy criticism

The military backed the defense department’s directive to stop direct military contacts because the mechanisms produced no results, and instead, Chinese activities in the disputed waters increased.

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Financial forensic expert points to ‘symptons’ of money laundering in Duterte’s couple finances

Financial forensic expert points to ‘symptons’ of money laundering in Duterte’s couple finances

A financial forensic expert told the Senate impeachment court the Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband’s financial transactions showed “symptoms” of money laundering.

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Vice President has an undeclared wealth of 817.87 million pesos in her SALN

Vice President has an undeclared wealth of 817.87 million pesos in her SALN

Based on a financial expert witness’s tabulation, Duterte had accumulated 817.87 million in assets from 2022 to 2025, which she did not declare on her SALN

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China attempts to stop Philippine medical evacuation from rusting vessel

China attempts to stop Philippine medical evacuation from rusting vessel

It took 10 hours for the Philippine Coast Guard to transfer a sick personnel from BRP Sierra Madre to BRP Cabra in Ayungin Shoal due Chinese Coast Guard shadowing and water cannon.

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Vice President’s may not be paying correct taxes

Vice President’s may not be paying correct taxes

The prosecution also questioned the reported transfer of Carpio’s shares in Cale88 Foods Corp. because the BIR records showed he had not sold or transferred ownership of the food company.

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Soldiers of fortune

Soldiers of fortune

Both Russia and Ukraine turned to recruiting desperate men in poorer countries as the war drags on. Despite the promise of good pay, survival of these recruits is not assured, Manuel Mogato writes.

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Vice President and husband’s bank accounts do not match SALN disclosure

Vice President and husband’s bank accounts do not match SALN disclosure

Vice President Sara Duterte and her lawyer husband have kept millions of pesos in at least eight local banks that she failed to disclose in her annual SALN from 2022 to 2025.

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Vice President and her husband have 190 million pesos cumulative deposits in eight banks

Vice President and her husband have 190 million pesos cumulative deposits in eight banks

The prosecution panel said it intends to present 14 representatives from government and private banks to prove the vice president failed to report in her SALN the money in her bank accounts.

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Anti-Money Laundering Council flags Vice President’s bank transactions open.substack.com/pub/insigh…
Anti-Money Laundering Council flags Vice President’s bank transactions

Anti-Money Laundering Council flags Vice President’s bank transactions

AMLC Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura said that more than 4.4 billion pesos passed through several bank accounts of the vice president and her husband in the last 20 years.

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Vice President fails to disclose property ownership in statements of assets, liabilities, and net...

Vice President fails to disclose property ownership in statements of assets, liabilities, and net...

Prosecutors presented officials from the Land Registration Authority to prove the vice president had unexplained wealth after she failed to report a six-million-peso land acquisition by her husband.

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The other problem created by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz: food security

The other problem created by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz: food security

Continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and the looming El Niño, is threatening a widespread food insecurity in the coming months, Manuel Mogato writes.

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Chinese vessels block Philippine humanitarian mission in disputed shoal

Chinese vessels block Philippine humanitarian mission in disputed shoal

The Philippines called off a humanitarian mission to a disputed shoal in the West Philippine Sea after at least eight Chinese vessels blocked and prevented three local vessels from bringing supplies.

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Senate impeachment court votes to change the number of senator-judges needed to convict the vice...

Senate impeachment court votes to change the number of senator-judges needed to convict the vice...

The Senate impeachment court on Wednesday changed its rules, fixing the required number of votes to convict or acquit the vice president.

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