The Philippine Army and its Australian counterpart began their inaugural joint training exercise in Mindanao, dubbed ‘Exercise Kasangga’ 2025-1. The opening ceremony took place on Monday, May 19, at Camp Evangelista, Patag, Cagayan de Oro City.
According to Army Spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala, ‘Exercise Kasangga’ marks a significant collaboration between the two armies, bringing together three platoons from the Philippine Army’s 4th and 10th Infantry Divisions, the Combat Engineer Regiment, and their Australian equals.
The month-long training, hosted at Camp Kibaritan in Bukidnon—home to the Mindanao Army Training Group of the Philippine Army Training Command—runs from May 19 to June 24, 2025.
This initiative follows last year’s successful iterations of ‘Exercise Kasangga’ held in Northern Luzon and the Bicol Region by the Philippine Army’s 9th and 5th Infantry Divisions.
The term “Kasangga,” meaning “ally” or “partner” in Filipino, underscores the collaborative spirit of this exercise. The training features realistic scenarios designed to refine the participating troops’ skills and enhance their understanding of each other’s tactics, techniques, and procedures.
Key focus areas include jungle and urban operations, breaching techniques, tactical casualty care, jungle survival, mobility and countermobility tasks, and reconnaissance operations.
Philippine Army leaders expressed confidence that ‘Exercise Kasangga’ will significantly enhance the warfighting capabilities of individual soldiers and units while strengthening the interoperability of both armies.
“The Philippine Army is committed to building strong partnerships with partner nations such as Australia with the end view of promoting regional stability and security,” Army Chief Lt. Gen. Roy M. Galido said.