The Philippine president has threatened to order the arrest of Filipinos who refuse COVID-19 vaccination and told them to leave the country if they would not cooperate with the efforts to contain the pandemic.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who is known for his public outbursts and brash rhetoric, said in televised remarks Monday night that he has become exasperated with people who refuse to get immunized then help spread the coronavirus.

The Philippine immigration bureau said Wednesday it has launched an investigation into allegations that some of its officers were involved in the trafficking of 44 women to work in Syria.

A 6.3-magnitude quake rocked the Philippines Friday, the US Geological Survey said, with residents in the capital Manila reporting buildings shaking and Christmas Day masses interrupted but there were no reports of damage.

Daniel Auminto lost his job and then his home when the coronavirus pandemic sent the Philippines into lockdown. Now he and his family live on the street, relying on food handouts to survive.  

Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes in storm-battered parts of the Philippines Wednesday as the third typhoon in as many weeks barrelled towards the country. 

More than 200,000 people in the Philippines were ordered to evacuate their homes Saturday as the most powerful typhoon of the year so far barrels towards the country, with authorities warning of "destructive" winds and storm surges.

The Philippine military said Wednesday it will review the social media accounts of service members after Facebook took down a network linked to state security forces it accused of "coordinated inauthentic behavior". 

Tens of thousands of people crammed into evacuation centres while trying to follow social distance protocols Friday, as a powerful typhoon hammered the Philippines.

The US military has cancelled a large-scale exercise involving thousands of troops in the Philippines because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Nine doctors have died in the Philippines from the coronavirus, the country's top medical association said Thursday, as hospitals were overwhelmed and medics complained about a lack of protection on the front lines.