Philippine Army (PA) and United States Army troops trained together in Pekiti-Tirsia Kali and combat tracking on Tuesday, April 18, as part of this year’s Exercise Balikatan.

(A Filipino soldier trains an American troop in Pekiti Tirsia Kali, a Filipino combat training program, at the Scout Ranger School in Camp Pablo Tecson, San Miguel, Bulacan on April 18, 2023. Photo by Philippine Army)

Col. Xerxes Trinidad, PA spokesperson, said the trainings were held at the Scout Ranger School in Camp Pablo Tecson, San Miguel, Bulacan.

According to Trinidad, Pekiti-Tirsia Kali is a Filipino combat training program that focuses on the use of edged, impact, and improvised weapons. Its style, techniques, and movements are based on the traditional arnis martial arts.

Meanwhile, combat tracking is aimed at “detecting and gathering information about enemy activities in a particular area,” he explained.

In Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, the 220^th Airlift Wing of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) participated in a subject matter expert exchange (SMEE) on low cost, low altitude (LCLA) airdrop bundle rigging at the Brig. Gen. Benito Ebuen Air Base on April 17. 

(Philippine Air Force and US Air Force airlifters share insights and techniques on bundle rigging SMEE for low cost, low altitude (LCLA) airdrops. Photo by PAF)

The LCLA is primarily used during resupply missions and in delivering goods in critical areas for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations, said Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo, PAF spokesperson.

The LCLA airdrop configuration utilizes minimal rigging supplies and decommissioned personnel parachutes that are still serviceable to deliver customized cargo such as HADR packs in bundles.

“LCLA offers a cheap, effective, and accurate tactical airlift delivery method that the PAF may employ using our C-130, C-295, NC212i, and other airlift platforms,” she explained.

In Capas, Tarlac, the 1^st Tank Battalion of the Army’s Armor Division conducted a live fire exercise with their counterparts from the Philippine Marine Corps and US Marine Corps on April 17. An obstacle and mine clearing exercise as well as breaching operations were also held by PA and US Army combat engineers on April 16. The exercises were held at Camp Ernesto Rabina Air Base (CERAB).

(Armor assets from the Philippine Army’s Armor Division and the U.S. Marines Corps are on standby during the Balikatan live-fire exercise at Crow Valley, Camp Ernesto Rabina Air Base, Capas, Tarlac on April 17, 2023. Photo by PA)
(Philippine Army combat engineers conduct obstacle, mine-clearing, and breaching operations at Range 5-A, Col. Ernesto Rabina Air Base in Capas Tarlac on April 16, 2023. Photo by PA)

Filipino and American Army engineers also teamed up in constructing a rifle and pistol firing range and a bridge at the Special Forces School (SFS) Complex in fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija on April 17.

(Philippine Army and US Army engineers construct a boxculvert bridge at the Special Forces School (SFS) Complex in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija on April 17, 2023. Photo by PA)

Maritime security drills

A demonstration of the PAF’s ability to protect the country’s maritime territory was also held as part of the Balikatan exercise.

(A Philippine Air Force Bell 412 Combat Utility Helicopter performs a Fast Rope Insertion and Extraction System [FRIES] during the GOPLAT Exercise on April 16, 2023 in Matinloc, El Nido, Palawan. Photo by PAF)

The PAF’s 205^th Tactical Helicopter Wing (THW) utilized a Bell 412 combat utility helicopter to execute a fast rope insertion and extraction system (FRIES) during a gas-oil platform takedown (GOPLAT) exercise in Matinloc, El Nido, Palawan.

“The demonstration involved the protection of a retired Matinloc platform which served as a stand-in for the Malampaya platform,” Castillo said.

The PAF spokesperson said the pilots used the Bell helicopter in facilitating the vertical insertion of the elite assault troops from the Naval Special Operations Unit (NAVSOU) through FRIES. 

The FRIES is primarily used for troop insertion especially in denied areas and places where helicopters are unable to land. It aims to demonstrate the troops’ capability in rapidly deploying forces in the most restrictive and challenging terrains.

“The exercise’s objective was to develop mutual defense capability and strengthen the country’s maritime security,” she noted.

(Troops from the Philippine Army, Philippine Coast Guard, US Army, and Australian Defence Force perform a fast rope insertion / extraction system in Rizal, Palawan on April 16, 2023. Photo by Western Command, Armed Forces of the Philippines)

Another FRIES event was conducted by the PA’s Special Forces along with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), US Army, and Australian Defense Force in Brgy. Punta Baja, Rizal, Palawan on April 16.