The Philippines on Tuesday kicked off its annual military drills to test its armed forces’ ability to repel invasions as if being “already at war,” its top general said amid repeated incursions within its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea. About 2,000 Filipino troops will take part in the nine-day high-intensity military exercise along the country’s western seaboard, near disputed maritime features that have been at the core of the Southeast Asian nation’s security anxieties, according to an armed forces handout. Called Exercise Dagitpa — a blend of the Filipino words for sea, air and land — military units will hold a mix of beach defense, naval fire support and missile defense drills to test their joint force capabilities against invasion threats as China remains increasingly coercive in the contested waterway.

Basilio, K. C. L. (2025, November 5). Philippines starts war games amid South China Sea tensions. BusinessWorld, p. 12/S1.