The Alyansa dagiti Mannalon iti Ilocos Norte (AMIN) condemned the live-fire exercises launched by the 4th Marine Brigade on June 4 along the shores of Barangay Davila in Pasuquin town and the barangays of Payas, Bobon, and Ablan in the Burgos town in Ilocos Norte. The drill is part of the Kamandag 09-25 war games, which began on May 26 and will end on June 6.

The live-fire exercises have once again prevented the fisherfolks from going out to sea to earn a livelihood. “The fisherfolk’s livelihood suffers if they cannot fish even for a day,” said AMIN.

The group also stated that these war games bring nothing except violence and livelihood disruption to ordinary citizens. It added that the current live-fire exercises are no different from previous war games that also barred fisherfolk from going out to sea.

The Kamandag war games involve 2,031 soldiers from the US Marine Corps and 2,028 forces from the Philippines. Military personnel from South Korea, Japan, and the United Kingdom are also participating in the war games. Meanwhile, personnel from France, Canada, Bahrain, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Netherlands serve as “observers” in the provocative war games.

Aside from Ilocos Norte, activities were also held in Batanes, Tarlac, Palawan, and other parts of Luzon, as well as in Tawi-tawi in Mindanao. The Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) and High Mobility Artillery Rocket System or HIMARS were also used during the military training.

These two powerful missile systems were brought to the islands of Batanes and Babuyan for firing exercises. This northernmost part of the Philippines forms part of the so-called “first island chain” of the US against rival imperialist China.

Alongside the Kamandag war games, the Kasangga 2025-01 war games between the Philippine Army and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) are also being held in Mindanao, as well as the Salaknib 2025 Phase 2 of the US and the Philippines in Northern Luzon.