PH, US Marines to stage drills on moving ‘displaced OFWs’

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino and American troops will draw up contingency plans for hosting “displaced overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)” in Batanes and Ilocos Norte, the provinces in northern Luzon facing Taiwan, as part of an annual joint exercise that starts on Tuesday.

The exercises called Kamandag, an acronym in Filipino for “cooperation of the warriors of the sea” runs until Oct. 25 and will involve around 2,500 troops.

The Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) and the United States Marine Corps will lead the joint drills, which will include for the first time France, Thailand, and Indonesia participating as observers. Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, and South Korea will also send troops as in previous years.

READ: The Taiwan Strait: crucial waterway and military flashpoint

“The growing involvement of international partners highlights the importance of collaboration in addressing Indo-Pacific security challenges,” the PMC said in a statement.

READ: China says it is launching military drills around Taiwan

Among the planned activities set in Burgos, Ilocos Norte, and Basco and Itbayat in Batanes, were the conduct of engineer assessments for future humanitarian assistance projects and of “integrated partnered planning for the reception of displaced OFWs,” according to the PMC.

Potential flashpoint

Other exercises for Kamandag will include live fire drills, amphibious landings and disaster response demonstrations.

Aside from Batanes and Ilocos Norte, other main training venues will include Palawan province and Central Luzon region.

Tensions have continued to mount between China and Taiwan, a potential flashpoint near the Philippines’ sea border in the north. Beijing calls Taipei a breakaway province and regards it as part of its territory, to be reclaimed one day, by force if necessary.

On Monday, China held large-scale military exercises surrounding Taiwan and its outlying islands aimed at sending a “stern warning” to “separatist forces” in the self-ruled island, drawing condemnation from Taipei and Washington.

China also claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, deploying an armada of coast guard vessels to protect what it considers its territory, hundreds of kilometers off its mainland. An international arbitral tribunal has said Beijing’s claim has no basis under international law.

The PMC, however, described the Kamandag exercises as defensive in nature and “not directed at any specific threat.”

“Instead, it focuses on building capabilities for a wide range of challenges, including disaster response, counterterrorism and regional security. The goal is to foster international cooperation for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific,” it said.

‘Front line’

Last year, officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Northern Luzon Command briefed the local government of Batanes of their contingency plan if tensions escalate between China and Taiwan and discussed the potential influx of refugees.

Local officials in Batanes have been seeking major infrastructure development, particularly seaports and airports, as the province anticipates hosting thousands of Filipino repatriates in the event of a crisis over Taiwan.

President Marcos told Japanese broadcaster NHK last year that the Philippines “has to take measures to protect itself” because a conflict in Taiwan, with its “physical proximity,” would affect it immediately.

“We do consider ourselves very much in the front line… If there is conflict and an outright force being used, or there’s actual fighting going on, it seems impossible to me that the Philippines will not be involved in one way or another,” Mr. Marcos had said.

Meanwhile, an Indonesian Navy training ship will arrive in Manila on Tuesday as part of a 90-day regional goodwill mission.

Bima Suci’s visit to the Philippines is to strengthen relations and partnerships and to commemorate the 75th year of Indonesia-Philippines diplomatic relations, Indonesia’s embassy in Manila said.