US, PHL Marines set training in Palawan and other areas

Two battalion landing teams of the Philippine Marines and the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade of the United States will stage joint exercises off the coast of Palawan in the West Philippine Sea on Oct. 27, according to Filipino military spokespersons Thursday. “This bilateral training exercise is designed to enhance interoperability, so this year we would like to have this bilateral exercise for our internal security operations and territorial capability," Philippine Marine Corps spokesperson 1Lt. Cherryl Tindog said. Tindog explained that Palawan was chosen because its features fit the training requirements. “Palawan has the characteristics for our training requirement for territorial defense, this is indeed a good venue…In choosing a sea to train for bilateral training, we have to look for the best and Palawan is one of the best," said Tindog. “Also, Palawan is a Marine Corps area of responsibility," she added. “Aside from that, we wanted to bring some development to that area because this area is remote and it needs community related activities, that’s why we are bringing it there," said Major Neil Estrella, spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Western Command. The joint exercises include medical and civil action components, like the construction of school buildings. Tindog and Estrella claimed the joint exercises are unrelated to the Spratly Islands dispute with China and several other countries. They said US forces from the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade based in Okinawa, Japan will participate in the joint exercises. Tindog revealed that the USS Germantown will be taking part in the boat raid drills, adding that the vessels which will be used in the training will be coming from the Germantown. The Marines spokesperson said aside from Puerto Princesa City, the other sites of joint exercises are Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Crow Valley in Tarlac, the Marine bases in Ternate, Cavite, the Navy training site in Zambales, and Clark Air Base in Pampanga. The exercise in Crow Valley will have live fire action while the Zambales training will include mechanized assets, Tindog said. — ELR, GMA News