US, Filipino troops begin large military drill

More than 5,000 US and Filipino troops have begun twoweeks of military exercises to prepare for jointly dealing with any potential crisis inthe Philippines, which is prone to natural disasters and has been locked in astandoff with China over a disputed shoal.US and Philippine military officials said Monday at an opening ceremony that 3,000Filipino soldiers and 2,500 American military personnel would take part in theannual “Balikatan,” or shoulder to shoulder, exercises.They said the maneuvers would focus on maritime security and disaster response,but did not mention China as an imaginary target of the drills, which will includelive-fire and maritime surveillance exercises. The Philippines has turned to the U.S. to modernize its ill-equipped military amidthe increasingly tense territorial rifts with China.