00:00As the balikatan exercises between the Philippines and the United States unfolded, the BRP Miguel Malvar was set to make its final stand as a target ship.
00:11But nature had other plans. Battling rough sea conditions and the vessel met its unexpected end before the planned exercise could even commence.
00:20PTV's Patrick Jesus takes us through this story.
00:24This was taken Monday morning as the former BRP Miguel Malvar was being towed from Sangli Point, Cavite.
00:34It was supposed to serve as the target for the balikatan mali-time strike exercise to be conducted 40 nautical miles off the coast of Zambales.
00:42But before the exercise could even begin, the ship sank past 7 a.m. due to rough sea conditions.
00:50According to the Philippine Navy, none of their personnel were injured.
00:54She met all the criteria for her to be selected as a designated target.
01:00However, due to rough sea conditions that we are currently experiencing in the exercise box and with its long service life as is expected,
01:10she took on a significant amount of water and eventually sank.
01:16Environmental clean-ups also conducted on the ship before the planned exercise, removing residual oil and other contaminants that could harm the marine environment.
01:26Despite this, the simulated live-fire maritime strike between Philippine and American troops continued.
01:32The training will integrate ground, maritime, and air-based sensors and shooters in a combined joint fires network.
01:42As the Philippines and U.S. Joint Task Forces exercise command and control while exercising combined warfighting capabilities.
01:50The ship, which served since World War II, was over 8 years old before its decommissioning in 2021.
01:57Last year, a Chinese-made ship, the BRP Lake Kaliraya, was the target of Balikatan's maritime strike.
02:05Other Balikatan exercises proceeded as is scheduled, including a counter-landing live-fire exercise in Apari, Cagayan, over the weekend,
02:19aimed at preventing an amphibious assault from the sea.
02:22Assets used included howitzers, light tanks, and javelin missiles.
02:27U.S. F-16 and F-18 fighter jets flew in alongside Apache attack helicopters to provide close-air support.
02:36In Balabak, Palawan, the 3rd Marine Brigade led an amphibious landing exercise, simulating the retaking of a strategic island.
02:44Participating forces included the U.S. Armed Forces and Australian Defense Force with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and U.K. Royal Marines as observers.
02:53Balikatan 2025 will conclude on Friday.
