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Video by Cpl. Alpha Hernandez

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Balikatan 23| Suklayin Elementary School welcomes AFP and U.S. servicemembers

Exercise Balikatan

April 25, 2023 | 9:17

Children with the Suklayin Elementary school, display various styles of traditional dance and song to members of the U.S. Armed Forces, Armed Forces of the Philippines and school’s leadership during a community appreciation event as part of exercise Balikatan 23 in Suklayin, Aurora, Republic of the Philippines, April 25, 2023. For exercise Balikatan 23, U.S. servicemembers and AFP participants visited various communities to build comradery and lasting memories. Balikatan, Tagalog for “shoulder-to-shoulder,” is an annual bilateral exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. military. The exercise provides unique opportunities for participating forces to increase interoperability and provide tangible benefits for the people of the Philippines. Humanitarian civic assistance projects support local communities in the Philippines and strengthen our partnership. Balikatan 2023 featured four engineering projects as well as cooperative health engagements. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Alpha Hernandez)