‘Balikatan’ to restrict fishing, close parts of Subic waters
SUBIC, ZAMBALES — Fishing activities in some parts of the waters off Subic may be temporarily restricted for about 11 days starting today as Philippine and United States (US) forces conduct a series of maritime and air defense drills under this year’s Balikatan (“shoulder-to-shoulder”) exercises.
According to Commander Euphraim Jayson Diciano, head of the Philippine Coast Guard station in the province, fishermen and all vessels transiting Subic Bay had already been advised to take precautionary measures, as safety protocols will be strictly enforced to ensure the safe passage of civilian and commercial ships throughout the exercise period.
“We already informed the fishermen’s groups and all stakeholders to disseminate the information when the notice to mariners was released from our headquarters last month. They were also reminded again on Saturday, or two days before the start of the activities,” Diciano said in a phone interview on Sunday.
Based on the notice to mariners, multiple coordinated drills will be conducted in the waters off this town from April 20 to 29, involving maritime, air, and live-fire components that are expected to temporarily affect sea lanes in the area.
From April 20 to 29, participating forces will hold a multilateral maritime exercise aimed at strengthening interoperability between allied navies and improving coordination in maritime security operations.
Live-fire drills
The same period will also include a gunnery exercise in designated waters off the town, where naval units will conduct live-fire drills under controlled conditions.
A separate integrated air and missile defense exercise is scheduled from April 25 to 29, focusing on airspace coordination, threat detection, and joint response capabilities among participating forces.
On April 30, a maritime cooperative activity will take place in nearby waters off Subic Bay, marking the conclusion of the series of drills in the area.
Simultaneously, several other exercises will also be conducted in other parts of the country.
These include Commercial Petroleum Offshore Operations in the waters off Sta. Ana, Cagayan on April 21, and the Special Operations Forces Maritime Strike Exercise in waters off Itbayat, Batanes on April 24 to 25.
Another activity, the tomahawk land attack missile exercise, will be conducted in the waters off San Pedro Bay in Tacloban from May 5 to 7.
Defense readiness
The annual Balikatan exercises are among the largest joint military drills between the Philippines and the United States, designed to enhance defense readiness, crisis response, and maritime domain awareness amid growing regional security concerns.
These disruptions at sea have become a recurring issue during the exercises, which have been conducted for over 40 years and are regarded as the largest annual bilateral drills between the armed forces of the Philippines and the US.
In 2023, the Armed Forces of the Philippines pledged to provide assistance to affected communities, but residents said no support had yet materialized.
Last year, a temporary sailing ban disrupted the livelihoods of thousands of fishermen and tourism-dependent residents in the towns of San Antonio, San Narciso, San Felipe, Cabangan, Botolan, and Subic for several days.
Some affected residents at the time said they only received food packs containing rice, canned goods, instant noodles, sachets of coffee, powdered milk, and bread, while others reported receiving no assistance at all.
Fisherfolk group Pamalakaya earlier criticized the conduct of the joint military drills, calling them “costly” and poorly timed amid rising fuel prices and economic difficulties.
The group said the exercises reflect a “misplaced agenda,” arguing that public funds are being diverted to fuel, ammunition, weapons, and logistics for large-scale military operations while ordinary Filipinos continue to face an oil price crisis.
“It is an insult that such an extravagant and costly Balikatan exercise is being conducted between Filipino and American soldiers. At a time when fuel prices are soaring, funds and resources are instead being wasted on what they call a pointless military exercise,” said Fernando Hicap, Pamalakaya national chairperson.
The group also called for transparency on the cost of the exercises, saying public funds—particularly those tied to the Armed Forces of the Philippines modernization program—should instead be prioritized for social services.
It further argued that government resources would be better used for fuel subsidies for farmers and fisherfolk, and for strengthening local food production through agricultural support programs.
“It is said that the government lacks funds for fuel subsidies for farmers and fisherfolk, yet there is funding for weapons, ammunition, missiles, and the operation of military vehicles,” Hicap added.
Pamalakaya also reiterated concerns over the presence of US troops in the country, linking the exercises to broader regional security tensions.
