MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the US 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade officially opened the "Kamandag" joint exercises in Subic on Monday. Now on its second year, the exercises will include military-to-military exchanges among participants with a focus on counterterrorism and humanitarian disaster and relief capabilities, the US Embassy said in a media release. "In its first iteration last year, KAMANDAG gave rise to many inaugural advancements between our militaries. "Participants in exercises like Kamandag 2 develop lifelong friendships and connections that bring the US and Philippines closer together as friends, partners, and allies," the US Embassy said. Kamandag seeks to improve bilateral responsiveness to crises in the Indo-Pacific region and strengthen the two countries' alliance.

Source: Philippine Star October 01, 2018 06:56 UTC