Navy kicks off 5-day drill in Ternate, Cavite

Philippine Navy kicks off its five-day drill in Ternate, Cavite on Thursday, September 24. PHOTO courtesy of PH NAVY

THE Philippine Navy kicked off on Thursday at the Marine Base in Ternate, Cavite, a five-day drill aimed to enhance the capabilities of its units.

The exercises called “Pagsisikap 2015” were participated in by selected units from the Philippine Fleet and Philippine Marine Corps.

Commander Lued Lincuna, Navy public affairs officer, said the Marines launched an amphibious raid to apply maneuver principles from the sea to transition their ready-to-fight complements to the shore.

“The mock amphibious raid was a combined special operations designed to put into test, evaluate and further enhance the capability of the Fleet-Marine personnel in the conduct of an integrated attack from its initiation from the sea through naval platforms, to the insertion of troops and infiltration into the hostile terrain, to demolition raid and close-quarter combats and finally to the extraction of the VIPs from the enemy-laden environment,” he said.

Philippine Navy kicks off its five-day drill in Ternate, Cavite on Thursday, September 24. PHOTO courtesy of PH NAVY

The exercises will also be an opportunity for troops to practice tactical combat and casualty care by air and water for providing first aid and care on the battlefield for combat casualties.

The exercises will also be held in Sangley Point in Cavite City and in the waters of Manila Bay.

“Pagsisikap 2015” is the 12th iteration of the annual amphibious exercise.

Next week, the Philippines and United States Marines and Navy will formally open their joint exercises dubbed as Philippine Amphibious Landing Exercises (Phiblex).

The exercises are conducted amid China’s sweeping expansion in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea). AC