SOUTH CHINA SEA (Oct. 6, 2016) Members of international media observe flight operations during a tour aboard amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) as part of Philippine Amphibious Landing Exercise 33 (PHIBLEX). PHIBLEX 33 is an annual U.S.-Philippine military bilateral exercise that combines amphibious landing and live-fire training with humanitarian civic assistance efforts to strengthen interoperability and working relationships. Bonhomme Richard, flagship of the Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group, is operating in support of security and stability in the Indo-Asia Pacific region. The annual exercise could’ve seen its last holding in the Philippines as President Rodrigo Duterte wants to discontinue the event during the rest of his term. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeanette Mullinax/Released)
MANILA (PNA) – As the 33rd iteration of the Amphibious Philippine Landing Exercise (PHIBLEX) formally ended Tuesday, a ranking Filipino military official said they can change their tactics and plans to comply with President Rodrigo Duterte’s ongoing campaign against illegal drugs.
“Taking off from our amphibious nature, we consistently change with the law of the situation to fullfill our duties. We stretch our scope of operations if need be, just like the current administration’s war on drugs. In ways possible, our initiatives may be reshifted to include narcotics operations while not undermining our internal security operations, territorial defense and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,” PHIBLEX Philippine exercise director Brig. Gen. Maximo Ballesteros said.
He also expressed confidence that PHIBLEX could become a platform for military operations that cater to peace and security issues like drugs, human trafficking, and cyber-terrorism.
PHIBLEX started Oct. 4 and was originally scheduled to end on Wednesday but the annual exercises between the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) and US Marine Corps (USMC) concluded on Tuesday due to previous commitment of senior military leaders.
Around 1,400 US military personnel and 500 Filipino troops have participated in the event.