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Philippine security forces found bloodstains at the coastal home where suspected Muslim militants barged in and dragged an Australian man away in the latest of a rash of abductions in the restive south, officials said Tuesday.

With a sense of entitlement and a life of privilege familiar to a scion of the political elite, former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo successfully weathered coup attempts and corruption scandals during her nine years in power.

Manila residents waded through waist-deep floodwaters and dodged flying debris Tuesday as a powerful typhoon struck the Philippines, killing at least 16 people and sending waves as tall as palm trees crashing over seawalls.

The Philippines and Vietnam each received warships Tuesday to beef up their navies as they face tensions with China over disputed islands, raising the prospect of a deepening arms race in the South China Sea.

Philippine troops and police captured a senior communist rebel commander, officials said Wednesday as a 19-day Christmas truce ended this week with both sides vowing to step up fighting.

The Philippine president Monday spared top police and security officials from criminal prosecution for a bungled hostage rescue in which eight Hong Kong tourists died, drawing criticism from a survivor.

Philippine police relieved all the officers in a city precinct Wednesday after a television station aired footage purportedly showing police torturing a naked detainee.