Philippines, Australia hold drills in Visayas

By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, reporter

The Philippine and Australian armies held defense drills on Monday aimed at bolstering interoperability between the two nations amid shared security concerns over China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea.

About 171 Philippine troops and 90 Australian soldiers participated in exercises held in Capiz province in central Visayas. The drills covered coastal defense, missile survivability and mortar and drone operations, according to the Philippine Army.

The drills are part of the broader Exercise Kasangga — Filipino for ally — traditionally held on Luzon island, which faces the South China Sea to the west and the volatile Taiwan Strait to the north.

“Conducting the said exercise outside of the traditional training areas in Luzon sends a clear message about the army’s commitment to strengthen its operations in areas of strategic importance to regional stability,” the Philippine Army said in a statement.

Australia has been one of the Philippines’ closest allies in the eastern hemisphere, and in 2007, the two countries forged a visiting forces agreement allowing their troops to hold joint exercises in each other’s territories. The pact came into force in 2012.

The Philippines has sought to expand its security ties beyond its traditional ally, the US, engaging with other western countries and regional allies as it faces an increasingly assertive China over disputed features in the South China Sea.

Beijing claims almost all of the strategic waterway via a U-shaped, 1940s nine-dash line map that overlaps with the exclusive waters of the Philippines, resulting in clashes at disputed maritime features, as both the countries uphold their claims in the marine-rich water.