Troops hold a live fire exercise in Burgos, Ilocos Norte in this undated photo. Another round of live fire exercise is set on Wednesday (June 4, 2025) as part of the Kamandag Exercise 09-2025, which began on May 26 and will run until June 6. (PNA file photo by Leilanie Adriano)
LAOAG CITY – The Philippine Marines is set to conduct a littoral live-fire exercise in Burgos, Ilocos Norte located in the far north of Luzon facing the Taiwan Strait this week.
Marcell Tabije of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said in an interview on Monday that the exercise set for Wednesday aims to show the soldiers’ artillery firing prowess.
The drill is part of the annual “Kaagapay ng mga Mandirigma Mula sa Dagat” (Kamandag) Exercise 09-2025, which kicked off at the Marine Barracks Rudiardo Brown in Taguig City on May 26.
This year’s Kamandag iteration expands its multinational participation to include forces from Japan, South Korea, and the British Armed Forces, with observers from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Indonesia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Thailand.
Ahead of the activity, Capt. Jomark Angue, deputy chief of Coast Guard Staff for Maritime Safety Services, issued a notice to all mariners to take precautionary measures when transiting within the vicinity waters off Bayog in Burgos town.
“The cooperation of all concerned in effecting widest dissemination this information is requested,” Angue said in the notice.
The Kamandag drills will run until June 6. (PNA)