(UPDATE) SENATORS on Thursday said the yearly Balikatan joint military exercises between the Philippines and the United States should be reviewed to make them more responsive to the need to deter China's persistent aggression in the West Philippine Sea.

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, chairman of the Committee on National Defense and Security, noted that Balikatan, organized by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the US Armed Forces, is not designed for combat operations against other nations.

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