Rappler Recap: PH, US open ‘biggest’ Balikatan drills yet 

MANILA, Philippines – Officials from the Phiilippines and the United States — along with partner countries Japan, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and France — officially open the 2026 edition of Balikatan, the yearly war games between treaty-allies the Philippines and the US.

What makes this year’s drills the biggest and what are soldiers from seven countries training for, exactly?

Rappler reporter Bea Cupin walks you through the three weeks of military exercises across the Philippine archipelago. – Rappler.com