PH-US joint patrols in WPS by yearend, NSC exec says

THE Philippines and the United States have agreed to mount joint patrols in the West Philippine Sea before the end of the year, the National Security Council (NSC) said on Friday.

In April, Washington and Manila agreed to resume joint patrols in the South China Sea, which overlaps with the West Philippine Sea, and struck a deal to give US troops access to another four military facilities in the Philippines, on top of five existing Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites.

Meanwhile, senators have revived a previous suggestion to make former President Rodrigo Duterte a special envoy to China, following his meeting