Coincidence

DESPITE a stern warning by China, this year’s anticipated Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) military exercises among 9,000 American and Filipino forces, pushed through. The Balikatan exercises, which began this week, will feature war exercises, naval drills and humanitarian activities.
“A big country with vital interests in Asia, the United States should first clarify the targets of its Pivot to Asia strategy, which so far has featured no more than unscrupulous inconsistency between fear-mongering deeds and peace-loving words.” China’s official news agency Xinhua said in a commentary.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) dismissed China’s warning saying that the two-week event is not in any way related to the impasse in the South China Sea.
“It’s not focused on a particular incident but rather capacitating our armed forces to deal with a whole lot of exigencies,” said Vice Admiral Alexander Lopez, western command chief and exercise director for the Philippine side of the Balikatan 2016, in a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo on Monday, April 4.
Australian troops will also participate in the Balikatan exercises, while other countries, including Japan, Canada, and other Southeast Asian states, will observe the activities.
The bilateral relationship between the United States and the Philippines shares a long history. It began during the first half of the 20th century, when the Philippines became a US colony. In 1946, the Americans ultimately recognized Philippine independence and surrendered full authority, supervision, and sovereignty of the country to the Filipinos. Since then, the Philippine-American ties remained intact up to this day through the Mutual Defense Treaty Act of 1951. Since the inception of the treaty, both countries mutually benefitted from each other’s sources and locations. With the Balikatan exercises still ongoing, the ties have remained sacred, especially since the US is the largest source of military aid for the Philippines.
This commitment to help defend each other from the aggravation of external forces is proven at present after the US expressed its support to the Philippines amid the rising tension between over the rights of Spratlys Islands which is believed to have rich reserves of oil and natural gas.
Coincidence or not, both the Philippines and the US stand to benefit in these military exercises, not only to improve their enduring relationship, but to be ready just in case a belligerent scenario arises. This relationship is bound by humanitarian values and moral responsibility to ensure peace and security not just for their own people, but for every citizen of the world. (AJPress)