The Philippines is to hold simultaneous naval drills next week with key allies the United Staes and Japan, the military said Thursday, as Chinese building continues on the disputed South China Sea reefs. The annual joint maneuvers with the United States will include a P3-Orion spy plane flight and a helicopter crash-and-rescue simulation near the disputed waters, officials said. The exercises with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, only the second ever, will be staged separately, but in the same week as the US exercise, Philippine Navy spokesman Commander Lued Lincuna said.

Tuyay, F. (2015, June 19). PH to hold naval drills with allies. Panay News, p. 7.