Navy clarifies foreign vessels seen in Camarines Norte as part of drill

By Connie Calipay

LEGAZPI CITY --- The Naval Forces of Southern Luzon (NAVFORSOL) clarified on Monday that the foreign vessels spotted off the waters of Camarines Norte province were part of a foreign maritime exercise among the US, France, and Japan.

In a press release, Lt. John Emmanuel Sison, NAVFORSOL public affairs director, said the foreign vessels were composed of the French Navy, US Navy, and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force conducting a naval exercise hosted by the French Navy in the Philippine Sea dubbed “Exercise Pacific Steller 2025,” which started last Feb. 8, 2025.

“This exercise is a multi-large-deck event (MLDE) designed to advance coordination and cooperation among French, Japanese, and U.S. maritime forces,” he said.

“According to the US Pacific Fleet, this exercise is [meant] to promote a free, open, and stable Indo-Pacific space for the benefit of French populations, interests, and those of their regional partners, within the framework of international law,” he said.

Sison added that the Philippine Navy, through the Naval Forces Southern Luzon, remains vigilant in monitoring and patrolling our maritime seas for the safety and security of our people.

The Philippine Coast Guard in Bicol region, for its part, said it continues to monitor and coordinate with the Philippine Navy, through NAVFORSOL, for the various activities conducted in the waters off Camarines Sur. (With a report from Lily Nocomora aPNA)