More US troops arrive for military exercise

AFP FILE PHOTO

FORT MAGSAYSAY, Philippines—American soldiers have started arriving in this vast military reservation in Nueva Ecija province for this year’s joint military exercises Balikatan between the United States and the Philippines.

Col. Ronald Villanueva, chief of staff of the Army’s 7th Infantry Division, said the main group of American soldiers will arrive anytime this week.

US troops have been building their barracks and installing communication equipment at the “Tent City,” a camp near the special forces base here.

Capt. Mark Ruelos, 7th ID information officer, said the exercises would be held in several venues beginning May 4.

Balikatan is being done annually to enhance the ability of both the US and Philippine forces to make their systems and organizations, in military operations and disaster response, work together.

In its recent editions, American soldiers would talk about the extraordinary knowledge in jungle survival shared by their Filipino counterparts while Filipinos would cite the modern weapons of the Americans.—Armand Galang