PH, US commence 'Balikatan' exercises today
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will begin the stalled "Balikatan" Exercises with the United States military today, April 12.
Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, AFP Chief of Staff, said yesterday that the opening ceremonies will be held at the AFP General Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. It will not be opened to the public as part of safety precautions due to the prevailing coronavirus disease (COVID19) pandemic.
"This will be different from previous Balikatan exercises because of the pandemic. Some portions of the exercises will be virtual but we also have minimal physical contact," Sobejana said.
"There will also be actual
field training exercises but not as big as those done in the previous years," he added.
This year's iteration of the joint military drills will last for two weeks with the participation of around 700 US soldiers and 1,100 Filipino soldiers, Sobejana said.
The AFP Chief's revelation came after Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana held a phone conference with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III on Sunday.
The two defense chiefs discussed the continuation of the Balikatan exercises amid the increased aggression of China in the South China Sea.
The Department of National Defense (DND), through its spokesman Undersecretary Arsenio Andolong said: "The two defense chiefs discussed the situation in the West Philippine Sea and recent developments in regional security. Both are looking forward to the conduct of Exercise Balikatan which was cancelled last year."
Balikatan, which was part of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), was suspended last year due to the pandemic.
The VFA, signed in 1998 and ratified the following year, permits joint military training between American and Filipino soldiers in the Philippines. It also governs the conduct or behavior of US troops while they are in Philippine soil.
The VFA led to the establishment of the annual Balikatan exercises. Through this, American and Filipino soldiers undertake joint military exercises that enhance their interoperability, strengthen partnerships, and improve disaster response and counterterrorism capabilities.
Duterte ordered the termination of the VFA on February 12, 2020 following the revocation of the US travel visa of Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, a close ally, due to alleged human rights violation when he was still the chief of the Philippine National Police.
The last iteration of Balikatan was supposed to take place in May, 2020, but it was cancelled due to the threats posed by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
On June 1, 2020, Duterte ordered the suspension of the VFA termination due to "political and other developments in the region" which “shall start on an even date and shall continue for six months. After that, it can be extended by the Philippine government for another six months, until the tolling of the initial period in Note Verbale No. 20-0463 dated February 11, 2020 shall resume.
Duterte again suspended the termination of the VFA in January, 2021.
According to Andolong, Austin is pushing for the return of Balikatan as China steps up its efforts to establish its presence in the South China Sea by swarming reefs and building artificial islands in the West Philippine Sea.
On Saturday, China reportedly sent its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, to the South China Sea.
This came as a US Navy battle group, the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, entered the South China Sea last April 4 to conduct routine operations and exercise freedom of navigation operations.