Department of National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Friday said that the next edition of the annual US-Philippines “Balikatan” exercises will see more heightened action through realistic scenarios and full-battle simulations.
In his speech at the closing rites in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, the defense chief also extended President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ‘s well wishes to all participants of the three-week drills conducted on strategic locations in the country.
“I was with our President yesterday and informed him that today would be the closing ceremonies of the Balikatan, and he extends his congratulations to both armed forces and all those who participated for the successful conduct of this year’s exercise,” Secretary Teodoro said in his keynote speech.
“He (Marcos) looks forward to next year’s exercise which will be, I believe, a full-battle simulation which will put to the test the combined capabilities in the most realistic of scenarios possible with safety in mind,” the DND chief added.
Secretary Teodoro also applauded the drills, which concluded without untoward incidents.
“That’s not easy, given the El Niño period now. It probably posed a significant challenge in operating, particularly to those on the ground,” Teodoro said.
Some 16,000 Filipino and American soldiers took part in the exercises which started on April 22.
Secretary Teodoro also echoed the observation made by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. and US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson that it had been a productive year for bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Manila and Washington, D.C. and their allies, such as Australia, Japan, France, India, Canada, and other “like-minded nations.”
Secretary Teodoro stressed that everything he discussed with his counterparts may prove vital to the strengthening of joint activities, combined postures, and interoperability.
“We look forward to this because exercises such as this, where at least on the Philippine side, we go out of our normal comfort zone and try to focus on actual soldiering – which is what an armed forces needs to be – was done,” he added.
“I have told the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that we will be increasing the pressure continuously for them to evolve as soon as possible into a multi-threat, multi-theater operating armed force, consistent with the archipelagic doctrine of our country, combined with the necessity for defending it in a proactive and not a passive manner,” Secretary Teodoro stated.
“We welcome more multilateral and maritime cooperative activities. We thank our civilian partners, the Coast Guard and the Philippine National Police, whose assistance is vital. And we thank the local communities who will continue to welcome us because our national right, territorial integrity, and dignity are non-negotiable for each and every Filipino,” Secretary Teodoro concluded.
Teodoro said Marcos is waiting for an “extensive debrief” of the “Balikatan” successes, aside from the gaps that need to be filled in terms of interoperability, human resources capabilities, and sustainment.
Such things are important for the continuation of bilateral and multilateral cooperation of the Philippines with its allies, he added.
Balikatan Exercise 2024, the largest annual bilateral exercise conducted between the Philippines and the United States with over 16,000 service members participating across Luzon, is the 39th iteration of the event.
A series of maritime and land exercises were conducted during the three-week long activity.
Meanwhile, the National Security Adviser, Secretary Eduardo Año on Friday, May 10, echoed the call of the Department of National Defense Secretary, Gilberto Teodoro Jr. for the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to investigate the possible criminal act of the Chinese Embassy following their statement that they hold vital evidence proving the “new model” claim of Beijing.
The Embassy has said that they have a recorded voice conversation with Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos having a dialogue with a Chinese diplomat linking him to the new model claim of the Chinese.
“We join Secretary Gilberto Teodoro in his call for the Department of Foreign Affairs to take appropriate actions against individuals in the Chinese Embassy who claim to have recorded an alleged phone conversation between a Chinese diplomat and a military official for violating Philippine laws, particularly the Anti-Wire Tapping Act, as well as for serious breaches of diplomatic protocols and conventions,” Año said in a statement released.
The Security Adviser also said that the repeated acts of spreading false information and committing to malign factual information by releasing such transcripts and recordings of conversations must be dealt with serious penalties.
“The Chinese Embassy’s repeated acts of engaging in and dissemination of disinformation, misinformation, and mal-information now releasing spurious transcripts or recordings of purported conversations between officials of the host country should not be allowed to pass unsanctioned or without serious penalty,” Año said.
“We emphasize that the unmistakable objective of the PRC embassy in its indiscriminate releasing of these falsehoods and smears have been, and continues to be, to sow discord, division, and disunity between and among the Filipino people,” he added.
The National Security Adviser also believes that without a doubt, these are serious breaches of the basic norms of international relations and diplomacy by the Chinese embassy.
Bypassing official and long-established channels and protocols, talking to officials without the requisite authorities or bona fides, then maliciously claiming that alleged discussions should bind the Philippine government is farcical, foolish, and reckless, according to Secretary Año.
He also said that those individuals in the Chinese Embassy responsible for violating Philippine laws and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and those responsible for these harmful influence and interference operations must be removed from the country immediately.