Manila:

The Philippines has confirmed two more mpox virus infections of the milder clade 2 variety, its health ministry said Monday, bringing the number of active cases to three.

“We continue to see local transmission of mpox clade II here in the Philippines, in Metro Manila in particular,” Health Minister Teodoro Herbosa said in a statement.

The newly confirmed cases were a 37-year-old male in Metro Manila who had rash on his body last week and was brought to a government hospital, and a 32-year-old male from the capital who had skin lesions on his body.

The Philippines announced last week it had detected a case of the mpox virus’ milder variant in a 33-year-old male who had no travel history outside the Philippines.

The three cases this year means the Philippines has had 12 laboratory-confirmed case since July 2022.

The World Health Organization earlier this month declared mpox a global public health emergency, its highest form of alert, for the second time in two years, because of an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that had spread to neighbouring countries.

A new form of the virus has triggered global concern as it seems to spread easily though routine close contact.

The disease, caused by the monkeypox virus, leads to flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. It is usually mild but can kill, with children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV, all at higher risk of complications.

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Philippines’ Vice President Sara Duterte.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte said Wednesday she has resigned from the cabinet of President Ferdinand Marcos, with tense relations between the two families turning into a public rift in recent months.

Ms. Duterte gave no clear reason for her move but she leaves her post as education minister ahead of mid-term and local elections scheduled for next year.

The vice president’s father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, and Mr. Marcos have had a very public falling out as both families attempt to shore up their rival support bases and secure key positions ahead of the mid-term elections and presidential polls in 2028.

Mr. Marcos and Ms. Duterte had teamed up to a landslide victory in the May 2022 presidential and vice presidential election.

Ms. Duterte “tendered her resignation as member of the cabinet” and will no longer serve as secretary of education, presidential spokesperson Cheloy Garafil told reporters, adding she would continue as vice president.

Ms. Duterte also resigned as the vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

As vice president, the 46-year-old would take over as president in case Mr. Marcos, 66, dies or becomes unable to perform his duties at any time during their six-year terms.

Mr. Garafil said the vice president declined to give her reasons, but Mr. Marcos has accepted the resignation.

“We thank her for her service,” Mr. Garafil added.

In a separate press conference, Ms. Duterte said she met with the president to inform him about her resignation effective July 19.

“Every story, no matter how beautiful, has to end,” she told reporters.

“Even if I will not be the head of the department of education, I will continue to be a mother who will watch and stand for the rights of every teacher and every student in the Philippines.”

She thanked the teachers, partner agencies and the national government for their commitment to improving the country’s education system.

Plummeting relationship

Relations between the Marcos and Duterte families have plummeted in the past two years.

Fronting a rally of supporters in his home city Davao on January 28, Ms. Duterte accused Mr. Marcos of being a “drug addict”, while his youngest son Sebastian Duterte said Mr. Marcos should resign.

Mr. Marcos hit back the next day, claiming that his predecessor’s long-term use of the powerful opioid fentanyl had taken a toll on his health.

Neither man provided evidence of the other’s alleged drug use.

The former president has also urged the military and police to unseat Mr. Marcos if he pursued his proposal to amend the constitution, and threatened to get his southern home region of Mindanao to secede.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has warned China not to cross a red line in the South China Sea, saying If any Filipino died as a result of Beijing’s wilful actions, Manila would consider it as close to “an act of war” and respond accordingly.

Addressing the defence-and-security focused Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore on Friday night, Mr. Marcos sought to deepen defence cooperation with the U.S. as he stands up to the Chinese military’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea.

“We shall strengthen our alliances with the United States and our strategic partnerships with Australia, Japan, Vietnam, Brunei, and all the other member states of ASEAN. We will also pursue more robust collaborations with countries such as the Republic of Korea, India amongst others,” Mr. Marcos said.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam claim parts of it.

Mr. Marcos said the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries had a vision for “peace, stability, and prosperity” in the South China Sea, but that this was being undermined by other actors.

“Unfortunately, this vision remains for now a distant reality. Illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions continue to violate our sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction,” Mr. Marcos said.

“If a Filipino citizen was killed by a wilful act, that is very close to what we define as an act of war,” he said.

“We would have crossed the Rubicon. Is that a red line? Almost certainly,” he asserted.

China’s determining influence over the security situation and the economic evolution of this region is a permanent fact, he said.

“At the same time, the stabilising presence of the United States is crucial to regional peace. It’s never a choice. Both countries are important,” he underscored.

Mr. Marcos pointed out that security in the South China Sea, through which a huge volume of trade passes, is a global issue.

Mr. Marcos said tensions between the U.S. and China were destabilising for Southeast Asia, calling on Washington and Beijing to work harder to resolve disputes.

“Their rivalry is constraining the strategic choices of regional states. Their contest is exacerbating flashpoints and has created new security dilemmas,” Mr. Marcos said.

“The continued stability of this region requires China and the United States to manage their rivalry in a responsible manner,” he said.

Manila and Beijing have a long history of maritime territorial disputes, but tensions have worsened under Mr. Marcos, who has insisted the Philippines will not give up a “square inch of our territory”.

In recent months the simmering dispute between China and the Philippines over territory in the South China Sea has sharpened into aggressive clashes. Manila has denounced Chinese patrol ships firing water cannons at Philippine boats and supply vessels, injuring some personnel.

Mr. Marcos said on Friday that the South China Sea dispute is an issue that goes beyond the Asia-Pacific region.

The peace and stability of the South China Sea and the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea is a world issue, Mr. Marcos said.

The Philippines, a treaty ally of the U.S., is a key focus of Washington’s efforts to strengthen alliances and partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region as it seeks to counter China’s growing military might and influence.

Given its position in the South China Sea and proximity to self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its own, Philippine support would be crucial for the U.S. in the event of any conflict.

The Philippines expanded a 2014 agreement last year to give U.S. military access to another four of its military bases, taking the total number to nine, including two in the far north of the country, less than 450km from Taiwan.

The Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) also allows U.S. troops to rotate through and store defence equipment and supplies.

The U.S.’ growing presence in the region and its regular deployment of warships and fighter jets in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea have infuriated Chinese leaders in Beijing.

China has accused the U.S. of using the Philippines as a “pawn to stir up trouble in the South China Sea”, according to U.S.-China affair watchers and analysts.

China’s Defence Minister Admiral Dong Jun is scheduled to address the annual Dialogue on Sunday and is expected to respond to China-related issues on the South China Sea.

The security forum in Singapore was attended by U.S. Defence Secretary Austin and defence chiefs from around the world.