Pres. Duterte: "last" war exercise with US

Photo by Malacanang

President Rodrigo R. Duterte said Wednesday night that the scheduled war games between the Philippines and the United States of America this October would be the last.

Speaking before the Filipino community here in Hanoi, Vietnam Wednesday evening, September 28, Duterte announced that he would be establishing new alliances with other countries like China and Russia.

Duterte earlier said that the US has been undermining the Philippines as he blamed America for the plunging peso which he said is being manipulated.

"I will visit China. I will open the door for everyone. I will go to Russia. I'm serving notice now to the US. I will maintain the alliance but I will establish new alliances. I serve notice to you now that this will be the last joint military exercise with US," said Duterte.

US and the Philippines has scheduled an annual Philippines Amphibious Landing Exercise (PHIBLEX) to be held from October 4 to 12 in multiple locations in Luzon, including Palawan.

It will be the first war games between the two treaty allies under the Duterte administration. 

Approximately 1,400 US servicemen based in Okinawa and 500 Filipino soldiers will train "side-by-side to grow capabilities and better prepare to operate together during a natural disaster or armed conflict".

But Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. clarified the President's pronouncement saying what Duterte was referring to was the joint military exercise with other countries within the territorial waters but outside the 12-mile radius.

Yasay said President Duterte was not specifically referring to the Balikatan exercise.

National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. meanwhile said that the alliance with America would keep on. He said that he would however have to clarify first with the President regarding the war games with US.

Esperon said that from what he understood from the President's statement, next month's exercise with the US would be the "last for the year 2016". AJRSP

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