US personnel directs an approaching landing craft air cushion (LCAC) to the beach at Subic Bay Freeport, as the Philippines and the United States kick off their largest joint military exercise. Jun Dumaguing, ABS-CBN News/file

MANILA — The Philippines is not preparing for war, the National Security Council said on Saturday, a few days before the country begins this year’s Balikatan, the largest military joint exercises between the Southeast Asian country and the United States.

This year’s Balikatan exercises will see some 16,000 Filipino and American soldiers, and several other troops from Australia and France participating in Command and Control Exercise, Field Training Exercise, and Humanitarian Civic Assistance.

Officials from 14 countries such as Brunei, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam will attend as observers.

“War is not on the table. War is not one of the instruments of the Philippines,” NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya told reporters.

China binanatan ang 'Balikatan' ng PH, US 

“Just because we have Balikatan doesn’t mean we are going to war,” he said, noting that the annual exercises have been taking place for years, even before tensions between Manila and Beijing in the West Philippine Sea worsened.

The Philippines has been “exhausting all diplomatic issues to resolve this (West Philippine Sea) issue,” but that does not stop the country from “improving our defenses and improving the capacity of our forces,” the NSC official said.

“Just because na kumuha tayo ng asong malaki, doesn’t mean na yung asong yun irerelease sa kapitbahay para manggat na,” he said.

“Kumuha lang tayo ng asong malaki kung sakaling may kapit-bahay na gustong pasukin yung bahay natin,” he said.

(Just because we have a big dog doesn’t mean that we got it so that it can bite our neighbors. But we got a big dog just in case we have neighbors who want to intrude in our houses.)

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The Balikatan exercises this year will happen from April 22 to May 10.

FRENCH NAVY’S FIRST BALIKATAN

This year will be the first Balikatan experience of the French Navy, one of the world’s major producers and operators of military submarines.

In recent years, France made headlines for rolling out its Suffren-class nuclear-powered attack submarines, underwater vessels capable of antisubmarine or anti-surface attacks.

Malaya did not give details about the participation of French Navy, saying that he is not authorized to disclose operational details of the Balikatan exercises.

“In our discussions with France, they also want to contribute to the improvement of our defense capabilities,” the NSC official said.

“What I think France saw in us is that this (Philippines) is a country that is pushing back against an emerging great power,” he said.

“They also want to be seen as an advocate of the rules-based international order. These foreign countries look at the values that the country possesses,” he said.

Training exercises help AFP ‘prepare for war’ - Balikatan executive agent 

France is also keeping a close eye on the Indo-Pacific region due to its interests in several Pacific Islands such as French Polynesia and New Caledonia, Malaya said.

“They consider themselves to be a Pacific… That’s why they are very interested to join the Balikatan,” he said.

Last year, French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu said that Manila and Paris have agreed to forge closer defense cooperation, including the signing of a VFA to enable both countries to conduct joint military activities in their respective territories.

NSC EXEC SLAMS ‘CHINESE PUPPETS’

Meantime, Malaya slammed Filipinos who have been echoing China’s narrative that the Philippines’ activities in the West Philippine Sea is fueling tensions in the region.

“Yung mga propagandists ng Chinese ng Embassy ay tinutulungan ng mga apologists, fear mongers,” he said.

“Sinasabi nila na ang Tsina ay may nuclear weapons… They are puppets of the Chinese Embassy,” he added.

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(Apologists and fear mongerers are aiding propagandists of the Chinese Embassy. They are saying that China has nuclear weapons… They are puppets of the Chinese Embassy.)

Malaya — who was part of the Department of the Interior and Local Government under the previous administration — did not directly answer questions if former President Rodrigo Duterte, who pivoted to China during his presidency, was among these Chinese puppets.

“I’m referring to those utilizing the playbook of the Chinese Embassy. Kayo na po ang manghusga (I will let you be the judge of that),” he said.