‘Balikatan’ not directed at any countries

From the Daily Tribune (Apr  5): ‘Balikatan’ not directed at any countries

With “Balikatan 2013” exercises about to go into high gear this Friday, Maj. Emmanuel Garcia, the Philippine spokesman for the activity, said that the event is not aimed at any particular country.

“Well we hope other countries will not misinterpret it. ‘Balikatan’ is not directed against any country,” he said when asked whether the joint Philippine-US military training exercise is connected to the ongoing tensions between the two Koreas.

“This (Balikatan) has been planned long before those issues like (in) the Korean peninsula and other world events occurred,” he added.

Garcia also stressed that the planning stage for “Balikatan 2013” started during the last quarter of 2012.

“Planning stage for ‘Balikatan’ started in September to December 2012 and until now we are still ironing out some venues and exercise areas,” he pointed out.

Garcia also said that the primary function of “Balikatan 2013” is to highlight interoperability between American and Filipino forces in providing humanitarian assistance in wake of disasters or other calamities.

He stressed that such actions are in no way offensive.

Garcia said that special emphasis is given to humanitarian disaster response activities in this year’s “Balikatan” in order train rescue forces in an event of another super typhoon like “Pablo” which struck Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley in the middle part of December 2012.

An estimated 1,000 people were killed in the issuing landslides and flashfloods while hundreds more are still missing until today.   

http://tribune.net.ph/index.php/nation/item/12487-‘balikatan’-not-directed-at-any-countries