MANILA, July 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Philippine President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo said on Monday that the future Philippine-US joint
military exercises will have a heavy dose of night flying and other
capabilities that will enhance the expertise of the military.
In her speech during the celebration of the 55th anniversary ofthe
Philippine Air Force (PAF) in a Manila suburb, Arroyo also stressed that
the coming exercises, coded Balikatan, will come back to Luzon island in
the north.
She, however, admitted that there will be still a small component
of the exercises in the island province of Sulu in the south, known as a
major lair of the Abu Sayyaf kidnap-for-ransom group allegedly linked to
the al-Qaeda international terror network.
A large part of this year's Balikatan exercises, she said, willbe
concentrated on maintenance training and other measures that will ensure
the safety of Filipino pilots. Several aircraft accidents during the
previous exercises have claimed the lives of the pilots.
Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Roy Cimatu
said earlier that the next formal joint exercise will startin October.
Arroyo also stressed the need for reliable air surveillance
equipment as highlighted during the previous Balikatan exercises. Arroyo
instructed Cimatu to make sure that the allocation of the
10-million-US-dollar military assistance released by the US government
will include electronic eyesight equipment.
About 1,000 U.S. soldiers are currently deployed in the southern
Philippines training local forces in jungle warfare and counter-terrorism
skills in the southern Philippines. Small-scale joint counter-terrorist
exercises will be conducted in the south after the ongoing exercise
officially ends on July 31. Enditem
