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Philippines Travel Advisory

Travel advisory july 24, 2023, philippines - level 2: exercise increased caution.

Reissued with obsolete COVID-19 page links removed.

Exercise increased caution to the Philippines due to  crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping.  Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory.

Do Not Travel to:

• The Sulu Archipelago, including the southern Sulu Sea, due to  crime, terrorism, civil unrest,  and  kidnapping .
• Marawi City in Mindanao due to  terrorism  and  civil unrest .

Reconsider Travel to:

• Other areas of Mindanao due to  crime, terrorism, civil unrest,  and  kidnapping .

Country Summary : Terrorist and armed groups continue plotting possible kidnappings, bombings, and other attacks in the Philippines. Terrorist and armed groups may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities. The Philippine government has declared a “State of National Emergency on Account of Lawless Violence in Mindanao.”

Read the  country information page  for additional information on travel to the Philippines.

If you decide to travel to the Philippines:

• Monitor local media for breaking events and adjust your plans based on new information.
• Avoid demonstrations. 
• Enroll in the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)  to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.   
• Follow the Department of State on  Facebook  and  Twitter .   
• Review the  Country Security Report  for the Philippines.
• Visit the CDC page for the latest  Travel Health Information  related to your travel.
• Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the  Traveler’s Checklist .

The Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea – Level 4: Do Not Travel

Terrorist and armed groups continue to conduct kidnappings on land and at sea for ransom, bombings, and other attacks targeting U.S. citizens, foreigners, civilians, local government institutions, and security forces.

The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in the Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea as U.S. government employees must obtain special authorization to travel to those areas.

Visit our website for  Travel to High-Risk Areas .

Marawi City in Mindanao – Level 4: Do Not Travel

Civilians are at risk of death or injury due to conflict between remnants of terrorist groups and Philippine security forces in Marawi.

The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Mindanao as U.S. government employees must obtain special authorization to travel there.

Mindanao – Level 3: Reconsider Travel

The Philippine government maintains a state of emergency and greater police presence in the Cotabato City area, and in the Maguindanao, North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat provinces.

Terrorist and armed groups continue to conduct kidnappings, bombings, and other attacks targeting U.S. citizens, foreigners, civilians, local government institutions, and security forces.

Travel Advisory Levels

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Philippine Consulate General

The Republic of the Philippines

PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL

New york, usa.

• Post published: 4 February 2022
• Post category: Advisories / Announcement & Advisories
• Reading time: 3 min(s) read

Public Advisory

009-2022 04 February 2022

ENTRY GUIDELINES FOR US AND OTHER FOREIGN NATIONALS VISITING THE PHILIPPINES FOR TOURISM, BUSINESS PURPOSES

The Philippine Consulate General in New York wishes to inform the public that, per IATF Resolution No. 160-B, fully-vaccinated Americans can travel to the Philippines for business or leisure beginning 10 February 2022, and will no longer be required to undergo facility-based quarantine. 

The new guidelines cover fully vaccinated former Filipino citizens with Balikbayan privilege, including their foreign spouses and/or children traveling with them to the Philippines; provided that they are not restricted nationals; and fully vaccinated citizens of the United States and of countries entitled to stay visa-free for not more than 30 days under Executive Order 408, S. 1960.

Unvaccinated foreign nationals will be denied admission into the country.

When is a foreign national considered fully-vaccinated?

When he has received the second dose in a two-dose series, or a single dose of a recognized vaccine more than 14 days prior to the date and time of departure;

What do they need to present?

• Proof of vaccination;
• A negative RT-PCR test taken within 48 hours prior to departure;
• Valid return-tickets not later than 30 days after arrival in the Philippines;
• A passport valid for at least six months; and
• Travel insurance for COVID-19 treatment costs from reputed insurers, with a minimum coverage of USD35,000.00 for the duration of their stay.

What are considered valid proof of vaccination?

• WHO International Certificate of Vaccination and Prophylaxis;
• The national/state digital certificate of the country/foreign government which has accepted VaxCertPH under a reciprocal agreement;
• The vaccination certificate issued by any of the states of the United States, whether digital or physical; or
• The vaccination certificate issued by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, whether digital or physical.

What are the rules for foreign minors traveling with their Filipino parent?

• Unvaccinated foreign children below 12 years of age traveling with their Filipino parent, shall follow the entry, testing, and quarantine protocols of their Filipino parent traveling with them;
• Foreign children from ages 12 to 17 years of age traveling with their Filipino parent, shall follow the protocols based on their vaccination status (i.e., vaccinated or unvaccinated). If the child is unvaccinated, either parent should accompany the child during their facility-based quarantine.

Fully-vaccinated foreign nationals will no longer be required to undergo facility-based quarantine. Instead, they shall self-monitor for any sign or symptom for seven days with the first day being the date of arrival, and shall be required to report to their local government unit upon the manifestation of symptoms, if any.

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The U.S. and the Philippines agree to a larger American military presence

Ashley Westerman

United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin walks past military guards during arrival honors at the Department of National Defense in Camp Aguinaldo military camp on Feb. 2, 2023 in Quezon City, Manila, Philippines. Pool/Getty Images hide caption

United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin walks past military guards during arrival honors at the Department of National Defense in Camp Aguinaldo military camp on Feb. 2, 2023 in Quezon City, Manila, Philippines.

MANILA, Philippines — The U.S. will expand its presence in Southeast Asia with access to more bases in the Philippines, the two countries announced Thursday.

"American commitment to the defense of the Philippines is ironclad. Our alliance makes both of our democracies more secure and helps uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific," U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said during a press conference on Thursday afternoon in Manila.

The Department of Defense first announced the move, which is widely seen as a way to deter China's influence in the region, late Wednesday amid Austin's visit to the Philippines.

Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, said the announcement between the U.S. and the Philippines threatens security in the region.

"This is an act that escalates tensions in the region and endangers regional peace and stability. Regional countries should remain vigilant about this and avoid being used by the U.S."

Austin landed in the capital Manila Tuesday night and met with Philippine President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos and other high-ranking officials ahead of the announcement.

Philippines boosts military presence in South China Sea

Analysts say the U.S. expansion is a resumption of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which aims to support combined training and exercises. The pact was initially signed in 2014 but progress has stalled over the years because of former President Rodrigo Duterte's decision to turn away from the U.S. in favor of Beijing.

When the current Marcos government came into power last year — Bongbong is the son of the late president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. — he promised to revive relations with the United States.

Maritime Affairs expert Jay Batongbacal at the University of the Philippines College of Law said this latest announcement does not necessarily mean more U.S. troops on the ground, but instead "provides mainly for the United States to be able to build infrastructure on Philippines military bases and for the pre-positioning of military supplies and equipment."

According to the Defense Department's statement, the U.S. military will utilize four new military bases in the Philippines — bringing the total number of bases in use to nine.

While both U.S. and Philippine officials have taken great pains to not specifically name China, analysts say this bigger footprint could help deter China both from taking action on self-governed Taiwan, as well as contain Beijing's presence in the South China Sea.

Over the years China has grown increasingly aggressive toward its neighbors in the South China Sea by making what other countries say are excessive claims to territory in the crucial waterway and building military installments across the region — among other actions. Philippine officials say allowing the U.S military to use their bases will help better secure Manila's interests in the South China Sea.

But not all Filipinos are on board with this plan.

Activists stage a protest outside the gates of Camp Aguinaldo main military camp on Feb. 2, 2023 in Manila. Jes Aznar/Getty Images hide caption

Activists stage a protest outside the gates of Camp Aguinaldo main military camp on Feb. 2, 2023 in Manila.

Many Filipinos have expressed weariness about letting more U.S. servicemen be stationed in the Philippines again. The last U.S. military bases were dismantled in 1992, when a debate over their presence and Philippine sovereignty came to an impasse.

Liza Maza, the general secretary of the International League of Peoples' Struggle, a Philippines-based organization that seeks to coordinate anti-imperialist movements, said her group is opposed to more U.S. military presence in the Philippines because of "past and continuing about violence against women and the LGBT community in relation to the presence of U.S. troops."

"There have been murders and violations of women's rights and ... and justice wasn't met," she said.

One of the most prominent cases of this is that of Jennifer Laude, a trans woman who was murdered by a U.S. marine in 2014. Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton was initially convicted in the Philippines , but was pardoned by former President Duterte and allowed to travel back home to the United States.

Aowen Cao contributed to this report.

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U.S. to Boost Military Role in the Philippines in Push to Counter China

Washington and Manila announced a plan to give the American military access to four new locations in the Southeast Asian country, a growing strategic partner in the region.

By Sui-Lee Wee

The United States is increasing its military presence in the Philippines, gaining access to four more sites and strengthening the Southeast Asian nation’s role as a key strategic partner for Washington in the event of a conflict with China over Taiwan.

The agreement, announced on Thursday, allows Washington to station military equipment and build facilities in nine locations across the Philippines, marking the first time in 30 years that the United States will have such a large military presence in the country.

The deal comes as Washington has tried to reaffirm its influence in the region amid a broader effort to counter Chinese aggression, reinforcing partnerships with strategic allies and bolstering relations that have soured in recent years. Fears have also grown over a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan, the island democracy that China claims as its territory. Among the five treaty allies that the United States has in Asia, the Philippines and Japan are the most geographically close to Taiwan, with the Philippines’ northernmost, inhabited island of Itbayat just 93 miles away.

On Thursday, Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for China’s foreign ministry, accused the United States of threatening regional peace and stability with its announcement.

“Out of self-interest, the United States continues to strengthen its military deployment in the region with a zero-sum mentality, which is exacerbating tension in the region and endangering regional peace and stability,” she said. “Countries in the region should remain vigilant against this and avoid being coerced and used by the United States.”

In a news conference, the U.S. defense secretary, Lloyd J. Austin III , stressed that these new sites were not permanent. The last U.S. soldiers left the Philippines in the 1990s, and it is now against the country’s Constitution for foreign troops to be permanently based there.

“This is an opportunity to increase our effectiveness, increase interoperability,” he said during a visit to Manila that began on Tuesday. “It is not about permanent basing, but it is a big deal. It’s a really big deal.”

Carlito Galvez Jr., the Philippines’ defense secretary, declined to name the locations of the four additional sites, saying the government needed to consult local officials first. American officials have long eyed access to the Philippines’ northern territory, such as the land mass of Luzon, as a way to counter China in the event that it attacks Taiwan.

In November, Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro of the Philippines said that Washington had identified five possible sites, including two in Cagayan, one in Palawan, one in Zambales and one in Isabela. Cagayan and Isabela are in the northern part of the Philippines, with Cagayan sitting across from Taiwan.

Bashi Channel

ILOCOS NORTE

PHILIPPINES

Cagayan de Oro

“Having increased U.S. access in Northern Luzon, close to Taiwan, is really ensuring that the Philippines and the U.S. alliance is going to have a front and center role in Northeast Asian security and deterrence,” said Drew Thompson, a visiting senior research fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore and a former U.S. defense official.

The Philippines is the United States’ oldest treaty ally in Asia. Washington is shoring up its presence in the country after relations deteriorated during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s six-year term, which ended last year.

During Mr. Duterte’s term, he frequently criticized Washington and complained that the United States, the Philippines’ former colonial ruler, had created defense treaty agreements that weighed heavily in favor of the Americans. (The Philippines was an American territory for nearly half a century before the country gained independence.)

U.S. officials were concerned when Mr. Duterte threatened to scrap the Visiting Forces Agreement , a long-held defense pact that allows for large-scale joint military exercises between the two allies. He also threatened to disregard the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, the deal that formed the basis for Thursday’s announcement.

Since he took office last June, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has sought to revive his country’s relationship with the United States, surprising many foreign policy experts. On the campaign trail, Mr. Marcos had indicated that he would try to forge closer ties with China, a hallmark of Mr. Duterte’s term.

Mr. Marcos, the son of former dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, has since said he “cannot see the Philippines in the future without having the United States as a partner.” At least 16,000 Filipino and American troops will train side by side in the northern province of Ilocos Norte, the stronghold of the Marcos family, later this year.

Under Mr. Marcos, officials in the Philippines have started building contingency plans for a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan. When the former House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last August, China responded by launching military exercises in multiple areas, including the Bashi Channel, a waterway separating Taiwan and the Philippines.

Taiwanese officials called it an “air and sea blockade.”

If war were to break out over Taiwan, “the battle space will encompass the Philippines,” said Mr. Thompson. China’s moves in the Bashi Channel “really brought that home for Philippine leaders,” he added.

The Philippines is also strategically important because of what lies beneath the surface of the ocean. The waters just off the west coast that abut the South China Sea — where China has turned a series of sand mounds into military bases — are flush with undergrowth, making it ideal for stealth submarine movement.

“You need to control the Philippines because of submarines,” said Michael J. Green, an Asia expert on the National Security Council under George W. Bush who now heads the United States Studies Center at the University of Sydney. “If you can picture it, the undersea topography is jungle-y — you can sneak in submarines.”

The U.S. Marine Corps has proposed shifting toward smaller units in the region that could deploy to remote islands for missile attacks, rear support, counterattacks or intelligence gathering in the case of a war with China over Taiwan. Along with islands in Japan, the islands of the Philippines represent what American military planners see as one of the most important locations for such tactics.

“I would expect to see rotational access and more frequent deployments of these small marine teams for training and joint exercises alongside their Philippine counterparts,” said Gregory B. Poling, a senior fellow for Southeast Asia and director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

The five existing sites where the United States military has access are Cesar Basa Air Base and Fort Magsaysay near Manila; the Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in central Cebu Province; Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, to the east, and the Lumbia Air Base in the south. Since being granted access in 2016, the U.S. has used these sites to build facilities and preposition defense assets.

Three decades ago, the U.S. presence in the Philippines was a sore point among many Filipinos. The military bases maintained by Washington for nearly a century were seen to be a vestige of American colonialism. In 1992, the United States had to shut down its last American base in the Philippines after street protests and a decision to get rid of it by the Philippine Senate.

But as China began its military incursions in the South China Sea, public opinion on the American presence in the Philippines has shifted.

The Philippines now hopes to get American support to fend off Beijing’s continued military buildup in the South China Sea. Manila and Beijing have been locked in a long-running disagreement over the disputed waters that both sides claim as their own.

Among some quarters, the planned increase of the American military presence in the Philippines remains contentious. In a statement, Renato Reyes, secretary-general of the nationalist activist political group Bayan, said Filipinos “must not allow our country to be used as staging ground for any U.S. military intervention in the region.”

“Allowing U.S. use of our facilities will drag us into this conflict, which is not aligned with our national interests,” Mr. Reyes said.

Jason Gutierrez contributed reporting from Manila, and Damien Cave from Sydney.

Sui-Lee Wee is the Southeast Asia bureau chief for The Times. She was part of the team that won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for public service for coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. More about Sui-Lee Wee

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Austin Visit to Philippine Base Highlights Benefits of U.S-Philippine Alliance

The Philippines and the United States are fundamentally agreed on the vision they see for the Indo-Pacific region — one that is free of coercion and where countries operate according to international law.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III is in the Philippines to strengthen the bonds between the two countries. He visited Camp Navarro in Mindanao where Philippine and U.S. service members are working closely together to ensure the long-term prosperity of the region.

A U.S. Joint Special Operations Task Force operates at the camp alongside Philippine service members as part of Operation Pacific Eagle-Philippines — the only named operation in the Indo-Pacific.

While Austin will meet with senior leaders in the Philippine government, he chose to visit Mindanao first to highlight "the consistency and the interoperability of the U.S.-Philippine alliance," a senior defense official said.

"The alliance is about working on shared security challenges together that have an impact here in the Philippines and potentially in the region," the official said. "And I think the successes we've had with counterterrorism cooperation are really emblematic of the alliance."

The Philippines has been dogged by terrorism in the southern part of the 7,000-island Pacific archipelago. Abu Sayyaf, an affiliate of al Qaida, was active in the early 2000s and can still be a problem today. As recently as 2017, an Islamic State affiliate launched attacks on the city of Marawi, which led to five months of bitter, urban fighting.

"The assistance and the cooperation that the United States has provided with the Philippines is something that has not only helped them bring a lot more stability to the southern Philippines, but has been successful in enabling us and allies to prevent that violent extremist threat from moving elsewhere in the region," the official said.

A second senior defense official noted that U.S. forces are in the Philippines at the express invitation of the government. He says the effort is a true partnership. "What we're doing with Philippines is working with them," he said. "So that together as an alliance, we can help ensure their future, and so they have the capability to defend their own sovereignty and prevent the kind of coercion that they're facing on a day-to-day basis."

China is the nation doing the coercion, even after losing a landmark ruling at an international tribunal in 2016, that official said. The tribunal in The Hague ruled that China's excessive claims in the South China Sea were illegal according to international law. "What the Philippines is trying to do, is uphold its rights," the official said. "And we're trying to help them do that in the same way we are with other partners around the region. That's what this is really about, not about simply countering China."

The operation on Mindanao illustrates the way the two militaries work together. U.S. forces are training, advising and assisting Philippine forces. But the Philippines is leading the effort and conducting the counterterrorism operations quite skillfully, the first official said.

But this experience can be broadened, the official said. "We'll need to address issues related to territorial defense for the Philippines and how we think about building on the successes," the official said. "And the day-to-day ties that we have built together down south is an important part of how we're thinking about moving forward."

The alliance and the ties forged are very strong. Austin met with the leaders of the Philippine military at Camp Navarro and many of them attended U.S. military professional education courses. One general officer is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and others graduated from the advanced Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Still more are graduates of the National Defense University at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington.

"Even the new secretary of national defense here did his advanced infantry officer training at Fort Benning where the secretary [Austin] did his, as well," the official said. "So, I think the people-to-people ties that we have in our military-to-military relationship in the Philippines are really important part of what makes the alliance so strong."

Spotlight: Focus on Indo-Pacific Spotlight: Focus on Indo-Pacific:  https://www.defense.gov/Spotlights/Focus-on-Indo-Pacific/

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I'm a US vet who decided to retire in the Philippines. The political divide in the US became too much for me.

• Steven Johnson, a veteran and retiree, moved to the Philippines five years ago.
• Johnson holds a special visa that allows former servicemen to live in the country indefinitely.
• Johnson said living in the Philippines is far from perfect, but still a better fit for him than the US.

This as-told-to story is based on a conversation with Steven Johnson, a 60-year-old American retiree and content creator living in the Philippines since 2018. It's been edited for length and clarity.

Five years ago, I decided to retire and move abroad .

I'm from a small city in Massachusetts and worked as a therapeutic mentor and school safety officer for 18 years. Before that, I had a career in the military as a cook in the US Navy, where I worked on two submarines in the '80s.

As I got older, I realized the culture and politics in the US was evolving. Living there was no longer a fit for me, so I set my sights on the Philippines . My ex-wife was a Filipina, and I had visited the country before, so I knew what to expect. I moved to the Philippines in March 2018 and settled down with Susan, my 55-year-old girlfriend.

I applied for the Special Resident Retiree's Visa Expanded Courtesy. This non-immigrant visa is specifically for people with prior service in the military. I found the application process cheap and easy — it cost me $1,400 to apply for the visa from the Philippine Retirement Authority.

There were several requirements to get this visa — I had to make a security deposit of $1,500, be over 50 years old, be honorably discharged, and have served at least two years in the military.

The visa allows me to stay in the Philippines indefinitely, and I can still travel out of the country whenever I want. This privilege also extends to two dependents — and more, for $15,000 each — which means I could have other family members join me here down the road. My daughter is 33 and lives back in Massachusetts. We keep in touch over the phone, but she's not interested in moving.

Related stories

I started a YouTube account, The Philippine Info Channel , to share with other expats what it's like to retire here and have 28,000 subscribers. Many of them hold a Special Resident Retiree Visa too, but through other means, like investing in property. In total, over 73,800 foreigners are holding this special visa.

Life here is much more affordable.

I decided to retire in the Philippines as the cost of living here is much lower than in the US. I live in Trece Martines in Cavite, a province some 30 miles from Manila, the capital.

The exceptionally low rent is a plus point. For example, Numbeo, a comparison website that provides crowdsourced summaries of the cost of living in major cities worldwide, lists renting a three-bedroom house in Cavite as costing 9,000 Philippine pesos per month , or $218. In comparison, renting a similar house in Boston would cost some $3,450, per Zillow.

Traveling around the country is affordable too. A flight from Manila to Boracay — one of the most popular tourist spots in the Visayas islands — costs 1,636 Philippine pesos on Philippine Airlines, or $30, on average. Overall, it's a great place for expats on a budget.

I also have access to a US Veterans Administration Clinic. They help me with my back condition, and I'm much better taken care of here than in the US. The Filipinos working at the clinic take their jobs very seriously and are loved by most veterans here.

No plans on returning to the US

Despite small drawbacks, I would never return to the US after living in the Philippines for over five years. I have fond memories there, but the skyrocketing prices and the toxic culture between the two major political parties have deterred me from returning. I've found workplaces to be cutthroat if you are not in the same party as those with influence there. The way people treat each other can be very disheartening and sad.

On the other hand, as a foreigner here, I don't have to get involved in local politics. I've made my home here in the Philippines and am here to stay. It's not without its issues, of course, but the key is to have some patience and find an area that best fits your lifestyle and budget.

Watch: 9 Amazing Facts About The Philippines

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Philippines says Chinese coast guard elevating tensions in South China Sea

The Philippines on Wednesday accused China's coast guard of elevating tensions in the South China Sea after two vessels suffered damage from water cannon use by Beijing, an official said.

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US, Philippine forces launch combat drills in South China Sea

MANILA, Philippines — American and Filipino forces launched their largest combat exercises in years Monday in a show of allied firepower near the disputed South China Sea that has alarmed Beijing.

The annual exercises by the longtime treaty allies will run until May 10 and involve more than 16,000 of their military personnel, along with more than 250 French and Australian forces.

While the Philippine military maintains that the Balikatan — Tagalog for “shoulder-to-shoulder” — trainings are not directed at a particular country, some of their main conflict scenarios are set in or near the disputed South China Sea, where Chinese and Philippine coast guard and accompanying ships have figured in a series of increasingly tense territorial faceoffs since last year.

In encounters in disputed areas, Chinese coast guard vessels have resorting to water cannons, blocking and other dangerous maneuvers that have caused injuries to Philippine navy personnel and damaged supply boats.

The Philippine military said a key focus of this year’s drills is territorial defense. “We’re dead serious about protecting our territory — that’s why we do these Balikatan exercises,” Col. Michael Logico, who speaks for the Philippine military on the combat drills, told The Associated Press.

As the disputes between China and the Philippines have escalated, President Joe Biden and his administration have repeatedly warned that the United States is obligated to defend the Philippines , its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if it is attacked.

U.S. Marine Lt. Gen. William Jurney said in the ceremony that the large-scale military exercises will demonstrate that the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty between the U.S. and the Philippines “is no mere piece of paper.”

Washington lays no claim to the contested waters but has declared that freedom of navigation and overflight and the peaceful resolution of the disputes are in its national interest.

Philippine military chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner, who opened the exercises in a ceremony, said that as Pacific coastal nations, the United States and the Philippines “understand the importance of maritime cooperation in addressing the complex challenges that threaten peace and security in our region.”

China strongly criticized the exercises , saying the Philippines was “ganging up” with countries from outside Asia in an obvious reference to the United States and its security partners, and warned that the drills could instigate confrontation and undermine regional stability.

The combat drills will include a joint sail by the U.S., Philippine and French navies in and near disputed waters off the western Philippine province of Palawan, the sinking of a mock enemy ship by combined U.S. and Philippine firepower, and the retaking of an occupied island off the northwestern Philippines, according to the Philippine military.

China specifically opposed the transport of a U.S. ground-launched missile system to the northern Philippines ahead of the exercises. No missile would be fired but the aim was to build familiarity among military participants with the high-tech weaponry in a tropical setting.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian expressed China’s grave concern over the deployment of the missile system “at China’s doorstep.”

“The U.S. move exacerbates tensions in the region and increases the risk of misjudgment and miscalculation,” he said in response to a question in a news briefing in Beijing last week. “The Philippines needs to think twice about being a cat’s paw for the U.S. at the expense of its security interests and stop sliding down the wrong path.”

The Biden administration has been strengthening an arc of alliances to better counter China, including in a possible confrontation over Taiwan, an island democracy that Beijing claims as its own.

That dovetails with efforts by the Philippines under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to defend its territorial interests by boosting joint military exercises with the U.S. He has also allowed rotating batches of American forces to stay in additional Philippine military camps under a 2014 defense pact, including in his country’s north, which lies just a sea border away from Taiwan and southern China.

Associated Press journalist Iya Forbes in Manila contributed to this report.

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France and the Philippines to start talks on a `visiting forces agreement,’ French envoy says

U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General William Jurney, U.S. Exercise Director speaks during the opening ceremonies of the “Balikatan” or Shoulder-to-Shoulder at Camp Aguinaldo military headquarters in Quezon City, Philippines on Monday April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)

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MANILA, Philippines (AP) — France and the Philippines will begin talks next month on a defense pact that would allow troops from each country to hold exercises in the other’s territory, the French ambassador said Thursday.

French and Philippine officials will meet in Paris next month for talks on a visiting forces agreement, French Ambassador to the Philippines Marie Fontanel said.

She said the defense chiefs of both countries agreed in Manila last December to pursue such an accord.

“We will have an opportunity in May to maybe start officially the negotiations or, at least, discuss the modalities,” Fontanel said at a news conference with French Ambassador to the Indo-Pacific Marc Abensour.

The Philippines currently has status-of-forces agreements with the United States and Australis. The agreements provide a legal framework for the entry of foreign forces into a country.

Manila has pursued similar agreements with other countries, including Japan and France, amid escalating disputes with China in the South China Sea . Since last year, Chinese and Philippine coast guard ships and accompanying vessels have been involved in high seas skirmishes which included minor collisions and injuries to Philippine navy personnel near disputed shoals in the contested waters.

In addition to China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are also involved in the long-running territorial disputes, a potential Asian flashpoint that could bring the U.S. and China into a collision course if disputes escalate into a major conflict.

France has been boosting its security engagements with the Philippines. A French navy ship is joining U.S. and Philippine navy ships in and near the disputed South China Sea as part of largescale combat-readiness exercises by longtime treaty allies Manila and Washington that started Monday.

Abensour renewed France’s commitment to helping maintain freedom of navigation and overflight and respect for the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea in the region.

China has strongly criticized the exercises, saying the Philippines was “ganging up” with countries from outside Asia, and warned that the drills could instigate a confrontation and undermine regional stability.

The Philippine military dismissed China’s criticism, saying the drills are aimed at boosting Manila’s territorial defense and are not directed at any particular country.

Philippines and US launch joint military drills to "prepare for war"

M anila, Philippines - Thousands of Filipino and American troops have kicked off joint military exercises in the Philippines, in a bid to show regional dominance and counter what is seen as China 's growing assertiveness in the region.

The drills will be concentrated in the northern and western parts of the archipelago nation , near to potential flashpoints, including Taiwan and the South China Sea, which have been mostly claimed as Chinese territory.

"We're going to show the people of the Philippines and the world that we've gotten better, and we're never going to stop doing so," Lieutenant General William Jurney, commander of US Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, said at the opening ceremony in Manila.

"When we get better the Philippines gets stronger, safer and more secure."

Military drills with the Philippines meant to counter China's growing influence in the Asia Pacific

In response to China's growing influence, the United States has been bolstering alliances with countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including the Philippines.

Washington and Manila are treaty allies and have deepened their defense cooperation since Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos took office in 2022.

While the Philippines is poorly armed, its proximity to the South China Sea and Taiwan would make it a key partner for the United States in the event of a conflict with China.

"The purpose of armed forces, why we exist, is really to prepare for war," Philippine Colonel Michael Logico told reporters ahead of the drills. "There's no sugarcoating it... for us not to prepare, that's a disservice to the country."

Joint drills simulate recapture of islands in the South China Sea

The joint drills themselves involve the simulation of an armed recapture of an island in Palawan province, the nearest major Philippine landmass to the hotly disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

Similar exercises will be held in the northern provinces of Cagayan and Batanes, both less than 200 miles from Taiwan. Other training will concern information warfare, maritime security, and integrated air and missile defense.

US forces have deployed its Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) guided missiles to the Philippines for Balikatan, but Logico said the weapons would not be used in the drills.

Military drills follow weeks of increasing tensions, after the US held trilateral talks with Japan and the Philippines. Just last week, American and Chinese defense chiefs held their first talks in over a year, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit China in an attempt to ease tensions.

China's foreign ministry has accused the United States of "stoking military confrontation" and warned the Philippines to "stop sliding down the wrong path."

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