Officials from the Philippine and United States armed forces participating in this year's Balikatan exercises, the largest in 15 years, insisted that the said activities will not zero in on possible response to the issue of the South China Sea.
A statement earlier released by the Armed Forces of the Philippines said the US is sending 6,656 troops to the country, more than double the approximately 2,500 American servicemen who joined last year’s exercise.
During the opening ceremonies at Camp Aguinaldo on Monday, some officials, including Foreign Affairs Usec. Evan Garcia and Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr., mentioned maritime defense and concerns in their speeches.
We make no pretense that we are helping the Philippines as it builds a minimum credible defense and pretext its maritime security,” US Ambassador Philip Goldberg said in his speech.
“To be clear, the US is committed to its alliances and in the case of the Philippines, our oldest in the region, that commitment is as President Obama has said are ironclad. At the same time, the US will always defend the important principles of freedom of navigation in the air and the sea and the peaceful resolution of disputes through legal, diplomatic and peaceful means,” he added.
The exercises is held amid China’s increasing aggressiveness in the South China Sea. China claims most parts of the disputed seas and the Philippines has its own claims.
China has expanded its presence in disputed parts of the sea in recent years by embarking on giant reclamation work on reefs and islets, turning some into islands capable of hosting military aircraft landing strips.
Meanwhile a Palace official said Sunday the war games do not deliberately target Beijing, which has dismissed alarm bells from the international community over its reclamation in the Sea.
Asked what is the "significance" of this year's edition of the Balikatan in light of the Spratlys or the South China Sea, Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. noted it is an annual exercise that just happened to reel off this year amid rising regional tensions owing to Beijing's bid to boost its presence by reclaiming land, expanding or setting up new garrisons and other facilities, including a runway, in Philippine-claimed territory.