PH, US, Canada hold joint maritime drills within EEZ
Metro Manila, Philippines - The Philippines has conducted a joint maritime exercise with the United States and Canada within the country’s exclusive economic zone on Wednesday, Feb. 12, in a “continued effort to enhance regional security.”
The latest drill was the seventh in a series under the so-called Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity. In early February, the Philippines held the sixth joint exercise with naval and air force units of the US, Australia, and Japan.
“The 7th MMCA featured a series of operational exercises focused on enhancing coordination and interoperability between the Philippines and Canada. These exercises included communication check exercises, division tactics, photo exercise, and expandable mobile anti-submarine training target exercise,” the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said in a statement.
The BRP Andres Bonifacio sailed with Canada’s HMCS Ottawa in waters within the EEZ, while the US participated through planning and pre-sail processes, and activity monitoring.
The AFP also deployed the Beechcraft King Air C90 aircraft and Philippine Air Force search and rescue assets.
The AFP did not disclose where in particular the maritime drills were held, but the joint maritime exercises come amid continued presence of Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea.
The West Philippine Sea is within the country’s EEZ, but China rejects the 2016 Arbitral Award that invalidated its sweeping claims over the whole South China Sea.
“This activity underscores the AFP’s commitment to enhancing regional stability and maritime security,” AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said. “These strategic partnerships strengthen our interoperability and foster a collective security in the Indo-Pacific region.”
The AFP said the multilateral exercise underscored the “critical role of collaboration in ensuring peace, stability, and security in the Indo-Pacific region.”
“It also reinforces the bonds between partner nations dedicated to mutual prosperity and the maintenance of a rules-based international order, as outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” the AFP added.
