The United States on Saturday, May 30, vowed to keep sending military aircraft and ships to disputed parts of the South China Sea and called for an immediate halt to reclamation works by Beijing in the tense region. 
US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told a high-level security conference in Singapore that Beijing’s intensifying reclamation activity was “out of step” with international norms. In response, a Chinese military official said Carter’s criticism was “groundless and not constructive.” 
Read more on Rappler.

Was it possible Vice President Jejomar Binay under-reported the contributions he got when he contested the vice presidency in 2010? Was excess money diverted to the separate and joint accounts of trusted aide, Gerardo Limlingan and Eduviges Baloloy?
That appears to be the case, as seen from a cross-check of Binay’s Statement of Election Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) with the Anti-Money Laundering Council’s freeze order petition to the Court of Appeals (CA). The CA document showed the movement of funds in the Vice President’s bank accounts.
Read more on Newsbreak.

The revolutionary Solar Impulse 2 aircraft took off early Sunday, May 31, for a 6-day, 6-night flight over the Pacific Ocean, the most ambitious leg of its quest to circumnavigate the globe powered only by the sun.
Pilot Andre Borschberg, 62, left the ground in Nanjing, in eastern China, heading for the US island of Hawaii, at about 2:40 am local time (1840 GMT), after extended delays awaiting a suitable weather window over safety concerns. The 8,500 kilometer (5,270 mile) flight could set a record for duration by a single pilot, organizers said.
Read more on Rappler.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Andres Bautista said a “moral question” hounds politicians for early campaigning. Bautista said it is more than a legal question. “Only a candidate can be guilty of premature campaigning. So there’s a loophole in the law,” Bautista said in Filipino.
Bautista’s comments come as presumed candidates in the 2016 elections begin to air television ads. Their ads don’t blatantly announce their candidacies, but trumpet their achievements and portray them as excellent leaders. 
Read more on Rappler.

Negotiators are gearing for twin meetings next week that may determine whether the vaunted 2015 Paris climate accord will be a big bang or a fizzle. A 10-day conference under the UN flag starts in Bonn on Monday, June 1, followed by the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Bavaria on June 7 and 8. The two gatherings come at the crucial halfway point in the year’s crowded climate agenda. 
Everything is supposed to culminate in Paris on December 11 with a pact committing 195 countries to roll back greenhouse gases and help poor people exposed to climate change. But getting from here to there remains a mighty challenge, say observers.
Read more on Rappler.

The House of Representatives has passed on third and final reading, a proposed measure that seeks free public wireless Internet access in national and local government offices, state higher education institutions, and public areas.
Under House Bill 1550 or the Free Public Wi-Fi Act, the public will have free Wi-Fi in national government offices, municipal halls and provincial capitols, state universities and colleges, public parks and plazas, public hospitals and public transportation terminals.
Read more on Rappler.

More than 700 migrants found crammed into a fishing boat by Myanmar’s navy will be taken to the country’s troubled Rakhine state, a local official said on Saturday, May 30, adding all those on board were from Bangladesh.
It is the latest boat to have been discovered as the region battles a migrant crisis that has erupted since the start of May, leaving around 3,500 people on Thai, Malaysian and Indonesia soil and an estimated 2,500 more stranded at sea.
Read more on Rappler.

After a forgettable campaign at the 2013 Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar, the Philippines is under huge pressure to bounce back strong this year when the biennial meet returns in Singapore.
Before the watchful eyes of a critical nation, the Philippines’ 459-strong contingent will aim to surpass the country’s 41-gold medal haul from the 2007 SEAG in Thailand. “That’s what we’re aiming for, we think we can surpass that 41 golds. That will be our goal,” SEA Games chief of mission for the Philippines Julian Camacho told Rappler. 
Read more on Rappler.

Sepp Blatter won a fifth term as FIFA president on Friday, May 29 in a dramatic end to an angry campaign dominated by a corruption storm that engulfed the leadership of world football.
Blatter, who had defied calls to resign, raised his arms in triumph and promised the congress to be the “commander” who “guides this boat FIFA” out of the corruption turmoil it has sunk into. “I’m not perfect. Nobody is perfect. But we will do a good job together,” he said.
Read more on Rappler.

Beautiful women in the country will gather on Sunday, May 31 to vie for the title of Miss Philippines Earth 2015 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Miss Philippines Earth 2014 Jamie Herrell and her court will crown their successors who will help save Mother Earth. Rappler is live streaming the event. Be sure to check in for the highlights from the big night.
Read more on Rappler.