Philippine and US marine forces on May 9 conducted an amphibious operation on the shores of the former’s northern Zambales province.

The drill is part of the two countries’ annual joint military exercise, known as Balikatan. It attracted the participation of more than 80 members of the Philippine Navy and 40 US marines.

This year’s Balikatan (shoulder to shoulder) exercise is held from May 5-16 and involves 3,000 Filipino soldiers and 2,500 others from the US. It aims to develop the Philippines’ naval capacity to address any marine threats.

The joint exercise also focuses on search-and-rescue operations along with natural disaster and humanitarian scenarios.-VNA