Benigno Aquino III won the 2010 national elections and served as the 15th President of the Philippines . The first major issue he dealt with was the 2010 Manila hostage crisis that caused deeply strained relations between Manila and Hong Kong for a time . The Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro was signed on October 15 , 2012 , as the first step of the creation of an autonomous political entity named Bangsamoro . However , a clash that took place in Mamasapano , Maguindanao killed 44 members of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force and put the efforts to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law into law in an impasse . Tensions regarding the Philippines ' territorial disputes in eastern Sabah and the South China Sea escalated
Manila hostage crisis
Manila hostage crisis
Philippines