BY CRIS DIAZ
CAMP EVANGELISTA, Cagayan de Oro City: The recently concluded PH-US Balikatan in Cagayan de Oro City provided the Philippine Army modern military armaments that the Philippines is catching up, a senior military official here said Wednesday.
Lt. Col. Joe Patrick Martinez, spokesman of the 4th Infantry Division, said that the American troops were amazed that the army’s 105 Howitzer cannons remained commissioned and remain serviceable.
The American counterparts disclosed that the 105 Howitzer cannon is now part of the US military museum, Martinez told the Mindanao Daily News.
Martinez, also the Executive Officer of the army’s 4ID Service Battalion, said tnat the service battalion was one of the major components of the recently concluded PH-RP Balikatan exercise.
The Philippine Air Foce base in Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro City was the venue of the two-week Balikatan exercise participated in by about 100 PH-US soldiers.
Lumbia is one of the nine Enhance Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) in the Philippines where the PH-US military training on humanitarian aid and security operations are held.
According to Martinez, the military exercise in Limbia focused on humanitarian aid in times of emergencies and catastrophic events.
He said that the 4ID learned valuable lessons, especially about modern military armaments and rapid response to any part of the country in times of emergencies.
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