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No Chinese surveillance activities monitored during Balikatan 2022: PH military

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Anjo Bagaoisan, ABS-CBN News

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The PH military did not monitor any surveillance or other activities done by China during the 12-day Balikatan exercises, said Armed Forces chief Gen. Andres Centino.<br/><br/>Most exercises, such as the amphibious landing drills ⬇️, were done in northern Luzon.<br/><br/>📸: AFP/US Embassy MNL <a href="https://t.co/Bl9L8utF6Y">pic.twitter.com/Bl9L8utF6Y</a></p>— Anjo Bagaoisan (@anjo_bagaoisan) <a href="https://twitter.com/anjo_bagaoisan/status/1512303196382793737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2022</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>MANILA — The Philippines’ top general said Friday they did not observe any surveillance or other activities done by China throughout the 12-day Balikatan 2022 joint military drills between the Philippines and the United States.</p><p>“There have been no monitored activities whatsoever,” said Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Andres Centino at a press conference following the Balikatan closing ceremonies in Camp Aguinaldo.</p><p>This, following Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana’s disclosure earlier this week that a Chinese ship conducted surveillance on the Philippine-US joint naval exercises in the Sulu Sea in late January.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/05/22/chinese-ship-in-sulu-sea-shadowed-ph-us-naval-exercise">Chinese vessel in Sulu Sea &#x27;shadowed&#x27; PH-US naval exercise: Defense chief</a></li></ul><p>This year’s exercises, participated in by 5,100 US and 3,800 Filipino service members, were mostly conducted in the northern Philippines, over 600 kilometers from China and Taiwan.</p><p>However, Centino said Balikatan, now on its 37th iteration, is merely focused on the 2 countries involved and not others.</p><p>“This is in no way intended to any of our neighboring countries, this is meant to improve our capabilities to use our procured equipment and for the last 2 weeks, we have this chance and opportunity to test them together with our American counterparts,” he said.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">WATCH: A video presented during the Balikatan 2022 closing ceremony shows the various drills conducted in North Luzon, including amphibious landings, air assault &amp; live-fire training. <a href="https://t.co/YtTtkbbuZh">pic.twitter.com/YtTtkbbuZh</a></p>— Anjo Bagaoisan (@anjo_bagaoisan) <a href="https://twitter.com/anjo_bagaoisan/status/1512300709483491331?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2022</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>Among the new Philippine military assets broken in during the Balikatan were Black Hawk helicopters, FA-50 fighters, landing docks, artillery guns, and newly refurbished armored personnel carriers, Centino said.</p><p>According to the US Embassy in Manila, this year’s exercises deployed 50 aircraft, 4 ships, 10 amphibious craft, 4 HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) launchers, and 4 Patriot missile systems.</p><p>The landing exercises in Cagayan last week also saw the first time Patriot missile systems were used in amphibious operations overseas for the first time.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Air defenders from Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment based out of Okinawa, Japan made history this week as they conducted the first-ever amphibious insert of a Patriot Minimum Engagement Package (MEP) in Aparri, Philippines as part of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Balikatan22?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Balikatan22</a>. <a href="https://t.co/JHkFavHwVQ">pic.twitter.com/JHkFavHwVQ</a></p>— U.S. Army Pacific (@USARPAC) <a href="https://twitter.com/USARPAC/status/1508923860594307075?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2022</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>Meanwhile, the US military said the deployment of Patriot missile systems in the amphibious exercises had long been prepared for and was not a response to events such as the war in Ukraine.</p><p>“This exercise had nothing to do with current events,” Brig. Gen. Joseph Clearfield, representative of the US exercise director, said in a press briefing.</p><p>“We were working on doctrine, capabilities and capacity that our joint force needs currently and going forward in a way to deter aggression. But this was long planned a year ago before any sort of conflagration happened in Ukraine with Russia.”</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/03/28/22/balikatan-2022-may-include-talks-on-possible-ph-role-in-us-action-vs-russia-analyst">Balikatan 2022 may include talks on possible PH role in US action vs Russia: analyst</a></li></ul><p>Both military officials said the annual joint drills’ objectives had been met, particularly in strengthening the US and Philippines’ security alliance and ensuring preparedness in responding to crises.</p><p>Centino added the success of this year’s exercise after being postponed and scaled back by the pandemic, showed the strength and resiliency of the alliance.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/multimedia/photo/04/05/22/balikatan-2022-at-fort-magsaysay">PH-US conduct combined interoperability exercises as part of Balikatan 2022</a></li></ul><p>“Although there were limitations brought about by the pandemic, it is highly commendable that the exercise pushed through and generated a favorable outcome,” added AFP exercise director Maj. Gen. Charlton Sean Gaerlan.</p><p>Balikatan 2022 exercises, done in Cagayan, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, La Union, Cavite, and Palawan provinces, focused on maritime security, amphibious operations, live-fire training, urban operations, aviation operations, counterterrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/28/22/largest-balikatan-exercise-with-ph-not-a-show-of-force-us">&#x27;Largest&#x27; Balikatan military exercise with PH not a &#x27;show of force&#x27;: US military</a></li></ul><p>Both countries also used the Balikatan 2022 as a training ground for 2 elite teams—the Philippine Army’s 1st brigade combat team and the US Marine Corps’ 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment from Hawaii.</p><p>Representatives from 8 nations, most from Asia, came as observers: Brunei, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam. </p><p>Around 40 personnel from the Australian Defense Force also participated.</p><p>This year’s drills also marked the 75th anniversary of PH-US security cooperation. </p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n4MCxFTCmi0?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

The Philippines’ top general said they did not observe any surveillance or other activities done by China throughout the 12-day Balikatan 2022.

No Chinese surveillance activities monitored during Balikatan 2022: PH military

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No Chinese surveillance activities monitored during Balikatan 2022: PH military

Anjo Bagaoisan,

ABS-CBN News

Published Apr 08, 2022 04:44 PM PHT

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