By VICTOR REYES
MALAYA
MALAYA
PHILIPPINE and US forces will hold next week a naval exercise near Scarborough or Panatag Shoal, some 124 nautical miles from Zambales, which is now under virtual control by China after a standoff in April last year.
Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Gerald Fabic said the exercise, dubbed Cooperation Afloat Readiness Training or CARAT, will commence on June 27 at the former US naval base in Subic and will last until July 2.
Fabic said the exercise is projected to enhance the capabilities of the two navies in communications, naval surface operations, counter-terrorism, maritime security operations, disaster response and even humanitarian missions.
“This is meant to increase the level of interoperability between Philippine Navy and US Navy in the conduct of combined naval operations,” said Fabic of CARAT, one of several military trainings that are conducted by the two countries annually.
Ensign Bernard Sabado, spokesman of the Naval Forces Northern Luzon, said the Philippine Navy has earmarked a ship and 500 personnel for the exercise while the US has four ships and 500 men.
Fabic said the Philippine and US navies will also be deploying unspecified number of aircraft for the exercise.
Also, Fabic said the Philippine Coast Guard had been invited to join the actual training and will be sending a ship, aircraft and a special operations team.
He said the sea exercise will be conducted between Zambales and Scarborough Shoal. “It’s going to be 60 nautical miles east of Scarborough Shoal,” said Fabic.
In April last year, the Philippine Navy ship BRP Gregorio del Pilar tried to apprehend several Chinese fishing boats caught fishing at the shoal. However, the Navy ship was prevented by two Chinese maritime surveillance ships, leading to a standoff.
The Navy ship withdrew days after and was replaced by a Coast Guard ship and a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel. The Chinese fishermen escaped as the standoff dragged on.
However, the two Philippine vessels also withdrew less than two months later due to inclement weather, leaving the Chinese in virtual control of the shoal which used to be a rich fishing ground for Filipino fishermen.
Fabic said the exercise has nothing to do with the events that transpired in Scarborough Shoal, adding that the training was finalized by Filipino and American officials as early as 2010.
“It’s a five-year planned exercise, this was planned a long time ago…The exercise was planned before this (Scarborough Shoal) issue took place, since 2011 up to 2015….It’s only incidental (to the incident),” Fabic said.
Last year’s CARAT exercise was held within the area of the Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao based in Davao. The CARAT exercise next year and in 2015 will be held in the area of Naval Forces West in Palawan and Naval Forces Central in Cebu, respectively.
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