PH, India navies to hold exercise in West PH Sea

The joint maritime exercise between the Philippine and Indian navies is set to be conducted in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the Philippine Navy said.

Philippine Navy spokesperson Commander John Percie Alcos told GMA News Online that the two navies will hold a passing exercise in the WPS, which include warfare exercises.

“A PASSEX will involve warfare exercises and seamanship serials to ensure seamless combined operations, improve mutual understanding, and share best practices between the two navies, which will better highlight the strategic alliance and partnership between the Philippines and India,” he said in a message.

Alcos said three Indian ships have already arrived in Manila for a port visit— the guided missile destroyer INS DELHI, the fleet tanker INS SHAKTI, and the anti-submarine warfare corvette INS KILTAN.

These ships are part of the Indian Navy Eastern Fleet.

“The objective of the visit is primarily to enhance interoperability between the Philippine Navy and the Indian Navy on both disaster response and maritime defense,” Alcos added.

The PH-India maritime exercise is set to be held this week.

Just last month, the Philippines hosted the Balikatan joint military exercises with the United States with participants from the Australian Defense Force and the Marine Nationale or the French Navy.

The Philippines, the United States and France conducted a multilateral maritime exercise in the WPS as part of the  Balikatan exercises.

Also, naval and air forces of the Philippines, the United States, Japan, and Australia conducted a multilateral maritime cooperative activity (MMCA) in the WPS last month as part of their commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation. — Joviland Rita/RSJ, GMA Integrated News