THE six-day Philippine Navy (PN) Reservists and PN Affiliated Reserve Units (PNARUs) contingency training exercise dubbed as Exercise "Pagsasama" kicked off Wednesday.
The exercise, which is set to end on Monday, July 22, is being held by the Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM) in coordination with the Naval Reserve Command and Fleet Marine Ready Force in the NFWM area of responsibility, particularly in the Basilan Strait and Sulu Sea.
NFWM commander Commodore Isabelo Gador said Wednesday that the scenario-driven exercise is designed to test the readiness and interoperability of Western Mindanao's PN Reservists and PNARUs with the PN regular force in case of national emergencies.
Gador said the strategic objective is to test the Active Archipelagic Defense Strategy of the PN in terms of developing Credible Deterrence Force/Maritime Domain Awareness and Maritime cooperation among PN regulars, reservists and other stakeholders.
Gador said that subsequently, the operational objective is to train the reserve force in naval operations, maritime security, inter-agency cooperation and mission planning.
He said the six-day exercise will include Subject Matter Expertise Exchanges, Refresher Training and Mission Planning, At Sea Events, and Civil Military Operations activities.
Gador said the At Sea Events, in particular, will consist of the Maritime Interdiction Operation Exercise and Gunnery Exercise (Gunnex) to be steered in the Basilan and Sulu straits, respectively.
He said Amphibious Operations will be simultaneously conducted with CMO activities in the vicinity of the Philippine Coconut Authority (compound Beach Area), in Sitio San Ramon, Barangay Talisayan, 26 kilometers west of Zamboanga City.
The annual exercise, he added, highlights the commitment of the PN to protect the country from lawless maritime elements and pave the way toward peace and development.
Gador said similar exercise was conducted in Visayas in 2010, Northern Luzon in 2011, and Eastern Mindanao in 2012. (Bong Garcia)