The Philippines on Saturday recorded 12,674 additional COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections to 853,209.

More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippine government began to roll out its immunization campaign to combat the coronavirus. But since then, the vaccines raised more questions than answers, leaving the nation caught between fear and hope.

Since the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, China has pressed its aggressive intrusions into the South China Sea where it has various territorial sovereignty disputes over maritime resources, and other issues with the littoral Southeast Asian states. 

(Updated) The Philippines on Friday logged 12,225 new COVID-19 cases, pushing national caseload to 840,554.

Long queues at emergency rooms have forced people to drive from one health facility to the next in search of treatment, in a situation described by a hospital official as a "nightmare".