PHL, US troops conduct PHIBLEX maritime exercises in Cavite

At least 60 members from the Philippine and United States Marine corps conducted mock operations against terrorists in the municipality of Ternate, Cavite as part of the 2015 Philippines Amphibious Landing Exercise (PHIBLEX).

 

A report from GMA's “Balitanghali” on Thursday said the joint forces did an amphibious raid where a military vessel, two rubber boats and two riverine crafts were used.

 

In the mock scenario, some soldiers were deployed from the military vessel and used the rubber boats and riverine crafts.

 

They got off near the shore and swam toward the beach, then proceeded to the target area, supposedly a hideout of a terrorist group. 

 

A coordinated attack was done by the soldiers to neutralize their target. They then went to the extraction point and completed the mock mission successfully.

 

The report said military personnel from Asian neighbors Japan and Thailand also attended the PHIBLEX exercises.

 

However, Colonel Akira Miyazaki of Japan was mum when asked by Philippine media to comment on their maritime dispute with China.

 

China and Japan have an ongoing maritime dispute with overlapping claims in the East China Sea. On the other hand, China and the Philippines have a similar dispute in the South China Sea.

 

The Philippine government has denied that its military exercises with its longtime security ally had anything to do with the South China Sea dispute.

 

The annual PHIBLEX drills between the Philippines and the US forces are held under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty. —Andrei Medina/KG, GMA News