President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. watched various activities during the first bilateral amphibious exercise between Australia and the Philippines on Friday in San Antonio, Zambales.

In a report by Leth Narciso on DZRH’s Damdaming Bayan, Marcos specifically witnessed the war simulation, whose scenario was the recovery of an island occupied by enemies.

The said activity features coordinated amphibious and land operation training between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Australian Defense Force.

Prior to today’s event, field training exercises were conducted in Rizal and Palawa, while the third field training exercise is scheduled to be held on Sunday in Capas, Tarlac.

Meanwhile, Exercise Alon 2023 is part of Australia’s Indo-Pacific Endeavour, which aims to promote security, stability, and cooperation through bilateral and multilateral engagement training, capacity building, and humanitarian efforts.

More than 2,400 soldiers are involved in the bilateral exercises, including 900 from the AFP, 1,200 from the Australian Defense Force, and 150 from the US Marine Corps.