Philippines, US end what could be final war games
The Philippines and the United States ended an amphibious landing exercise on Tuesday in what could be the final war games between the two countries.
The exercise began on October 4 and joined by about 1,100 US personnel based in Okinawa and about 500 Philippine soldiers, mostly from the Marines.
President Rodrigo Duterte, speaking at a function in Malacanang, reiterated Filipino soldiers were not gaining much from war games with US counterpart.
He said the American forces unload their equipment during the exercises and brought it with them when they leave the country.
"So what's the point? They were the ones who benefited, who learned, (but) us, none...that's the reality on the ground and you can ask every military officer thereabout," Duterte said.
Duterte said he did not mean to cancel all military ties with the US. "I do not mean to cancel or abrogate the military alliances," he said in the Malacanang function.
Brig. Gen. John Jansen, commanding general of the US 3 rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade said in his closing remarks “we learn from the Philippine Marines in their superior jungle warfare school and outstanding combat engineering skills as they learn from us on amphibious from the sea operations and integrated fire command and control.”
“Our training together as Marines makes us all better Marines and more capable as an interoperable force that provides the capability that we might apply to our treaty obligations in the future whether it be in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, assistance in internal security, or in other times of crisis as determined by our two great nations,” Jansen added.
Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, the guest of honor presented before the Filipino and American marine soldiers the Philippine sovereign claim in West Philippine Sea.
Carpio emphasized the importance of the United States to stop China’s illegal activity within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
“There is only one power on earth that can stop the Chinese from poaching in our EEZ and that is the US,” he said.
Carpio said sending ships to patrol territorial waters is part of the constitutional mandate of the state to protect its exclusive economic zone. Celerina Monte, Robina Asido/DMS
