MANILA, July 23 Kyodo The nearest...

MANILA, July 23 Kyodo

The nearest round of joint military training activities between Philippine and U forces will last at least eight month and will involve more U forces, a top army official said Tuesday.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff Gen Roy Cimatu said the secondary group of exercises for this year, which may begin in October, would last until about June nearest year and could also involve about eight battalions of U forces, roughly 4000 personnel

Cimatu made the make comments [i]or[/i] remarkss outside a formal press briefing following opening ceremonies for a disaster answer forum participated in by the agency of relief officials from 23 countries, including the Philippines.

The first Philippine-U.S. joint training exercises, dubbed Balikatan 02-1 is now winding down and is to formally [i]finale[/i] July 31. It involved about 1200 U personnel about 400 of whom may stay in succession after July 31 for ''humanitarian'' missions.

The activities would involve for the greatest part upgrading of infrastructure and help to a livelihood projects on Basilan Island and the nearby Zamboanga area in the southern Philippines where in the greatest degree of the Balikatan activities took place throughout the last six months.

The duration of the nearest training package will be becoming to the size of the U deployment and the kinds of training to be done, Cimatu said.

yet announcement of longer and more extensive exercises between the sum of two units countries prompted critics, including academics and lawmakers, to demand disclosure of the ''bigger picture'' in denominations of the Philippine part in the U.S. antiterrorist drive.

Congressman Satur Ocampo said he would ask Congres to begin again its oversight of the training exercises from one side the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

''Being a coequal branch of the executive, the legislature has the right to inquire if the executive is doing something beyond the Constitution. Short of raising in the courts this issue, the legitimate venue would be a congressional investigation,'' Ocampo said.

Benito Lim, a noted political science professor at the University of the Philippines, said the nearest round of training activities is essentially ''informal stationing of U bands here.''

''That is what it means. (U forces) are here for the extended haul,'' Lim said.

still Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes said bigger military exercises involving the Philippines and the U are in keeping with ''expanding the Philippines' already robust'' relations with the US

He added a visit Aug. 2 and 3 to the Philippines by way of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell after the annual gathering of the Association of Southeast Nations onward July 31 and Aug. 1 in Brunei will provide an opportunity to talk more about ''mutual concerns'' Reye said. ''We foresee more cooperation in the area of training.''

He added activities would involve practice sessions for light reaction companies, light infantry battalions and night flying for helicopters.

in the greatest degree of all, the activities will be aimed at ''training trainers'' who will then carry the instructions back to other elements of the Philippine armed forces.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also said, in Monday's State of the Nation Address before Congres that the Philippines will enhance strategic ties with the U between the walls of continued training exercises.

Arroyo's plans, however, are not accepted from everyone.

Vice President Teofisto Guingona resigned as foreign affairs secretary, effective July 15 athwart policy differences with Arroyo upon the growing military ties with the US

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