The Philippines assumes the Association of Southeast Asian Nations chair during maritime tension and less diplomatic patience in the South China Sea.

The moves will help strengthen regional stability and prevent Indo-Pacific connectivity from being quietly weaponised, analysts say The Philippines is stepping up efforts to protect undersea cables - the unseen backbone of digital communications - as a string of regional and global incidents has sharpened concerns that seabed infrastructure could be targeted for sabotage or espionage.

The Philippine government cut its economic growth target for this year, as it expects the fallout from the wide-scale corruption scandal to persist in the first half of 2026.

The death toll from the deadliest cyclone to hit the Philippines this year has climbed to 67, while many areas remained submerged in a northern region hit by the worst flooding in more than four decades,

Numerous submarine cables crisscross the Philippines’ underwater domain, connecting Southeast Asia to the United States, India and Hong Kong.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday signed into law the 2026 budget worth 6.793 trillion pesos ($115 billion) as his administration aims to revive an economy stunted by a government corruption scandal.

The Philippines’ manufacturing sector is looking forward to a stronger 2026 after factory activity stabilized toward the end of 2025, recovering from a slump seen through much of the second half of the year.