2 Aussie ships due for military exercise
BY ARLIE CALALO

TWO vessels of the Royal Australian Navy are set to arrive for week-long military exercises aimed at strengthening interoperability with the Philippine military.
According to Cmdr. Giovanni Bacordo, Navy spokesman, the HMAS Newcastle and HMAS Darwin will arrive to participate in the exercise, called “Lumbas.”
But Bacordo said that the activity will only be limited because the status of forces agreement between the two countries has not yet been ratified.
“In the absence of the [agreement], the training [will] be limited. There will be no forces on the ground, there will not be firing of ship guns,” he said.
He said the Australian Customs Service will also take part in mostly shore-based training in Manila.
Ship maneuvering drills off the coast of Boracay Island will also be conducted by the two forces, he said.
He said BRP Gen. Mariano Alvarez, BRP Artemio Ricarte, the Naval Special Operations Group and the Coast Guard’s SAR 001 and an aircraft will be participating in the exercise.
He said most of the shore-based training will include communications drills, as well as board and search operations.
He said the Philippine government has sought the removal of certain provisions in Australia’s counterdraft of the agreement, which could lead to a “basing” agreement.
It also purportedly took out provisions for criminal jurisdiction which were reportedly placed in the annexes of the counterdraft.