(From left): US Colonel John Rutherford, officer in charge of Balikatan 2014 joint exercises support group, Philippine Secretary of National Defense Voltaire Gazmin, Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario, US ambassador the Philippines Philip Goldberg, Philippine military chief of staff, General Emmanuel Bautista and Philippines' Major General Emeraldo Magnaye join hands during the opening ceremony of the Philippine-US annual joint military exercises at the military headquarters in Manila on Monday. -AFP
MANILA: Thousands of American and Philippine troops launched large annual exercises on Monday after US President Barack Obama vowed "ironclad" backing for its Asian ally, locked in a tense maritime row with China.
Filipino Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said the 10-day drills were necessary to deal with the challenge of "aggressive" neighbours intent on "changing the status quo".
Limited time offer:
Just RM5 per month.
