Reuters
(March 24, 2025) – Soldiers from the Philippine and the United States (US) armies began three weeks of joint military exercises on Monday, with drills focused on territorial defense and commanding large-scale deployments of forces, the Philippine Army said.
Around 5,000 soldiers from the Philippine Army and the US Army Pacific will take part in warfighting and exchange of expertise in the first phase of this year’s Exercise Salaknib. A second phase is scheduled for later this year.
US defense secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to travel to Manila this week to meet Philippine leaders and forces, the Pentagon announced last week.
The exercises will focus on enhancing combined operations between their army, large-scale maneuvers, live-fire exercises, and territorial defense, the Philippine Army said in a statement.
The Salaknib exercises began in 2016 and are annual engagements between the two treaty allies, part of the broader Balikatan training drills.
Security engagements between the two nations have soared under Philippine Pres. Bongbong Marcos Jr., who has pivoted closer to the US.
Marcos has prioritized upholding the Philippines’ sovereign rights in the South China Sea and has locked horns repeatedly with China over its actions in the disputed waterway, including the constant presence of Beijing’s coast guard near disputed features in Manila’s maritime zone.
Hegseth is the first Cabinet official to visit Manila since US Pres. Donald Trump took office in January.
Lloyd Austin, who was the defense secretary under former president Joe Biden, had said America’s alliance with the Philippines would transcend changes in administrations.
The Philippines secured an exemption from the 90-day funding freeze that Trump ordered in January so it could receive $336 million for the modernization of its security forces.
(Reporting by Mikhail Flores; Editing by John Mair)
Our Privacy Commitment
TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.
We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.
Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?
We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:
Where do we get your personal information?
There are several ways we collect your personal information.
Information that you personally provided.
Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
Information we collect during your engagement with us
We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
Information we collect from other sources
Other means of collection of information may be through:
When do we disclose personal information?
There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.
We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.
In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.
How we protect your personal information
The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.
We also put in effect the following safeguards:
TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.
What are your choices?
We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.
If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.
Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph
What happens when there are changes in our Policy?
From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.
You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.