THE Philippine and Vietnamese coast guards held firefighting and search-and-rescue exercises off Manila on Friday, the first such drills between the two countries with maritime disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea.

The Philippines and Vietnam both claim part of the strategic waterway's Spratly archipelago, but said the drills at the mouth of Manila Bay contributed to maintaining peace and stability in the contested sea.

"It's a good thing that we are going in one direction, which is the rules-based approach of the Philippines," Lawrence Roque, captain of the Philippine ship BRP Gabriela Silang, told reporters following the drills.

"We hope also that the Vietnam Coast Guard, particularly the Vietnamese government, will also... follow the Philippines in enhancing or following the rules-based approach," he added.

The Gabriela Silang and Vietnam's CSB 8002 vessels fired water cannons at a second Filipino vessel to simulate the rescue of a boat on fire in choppy waters at the mouth of the bay, which opens into the South China Sea.

A Filipino helicopter then dropped orange dummies into the sea as the two vessels launched tiny rubber boats that bobbed violently above the meter — (3.3-foot) tall waves to retrieve the make-believe victims.

The crew stood on deck and saluted each other as the two vessels did a passing maneuver to conclude the drills.

"We hope this will be the start of many more exercises of this type," Roque added.

The exercise stood in stark contrast to violent confrontations between Philippine and Chinese government vessels in recent months, which have fuelled fears of a conflict that could drag in the United States, a Manila ally.

Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, brushing off rival claims of several Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, and an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

One of the most serious incidents took place in June, when Chinese sailors brandishing weapons, including knives and an axe, boarded Philippine naval vessels during a resupply mission to Filipino-held Second Thomas Shoal.

Multilateral exercises end

The Philippines' maritime drills with Vietnam come a day after the country concluded its two-day multilateral maritime activity with Australia, Canada and the United States in the waters of Palawan.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Public Affairs chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said the activities included communication exercises, division tactics/officer of the watch maneuvers, photographic exercise, cross-deck landing operations, anti-submarine warfare exercises and contact reporting/maritime domain awareness.

AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said the exercise played a vital role in strengthening regional security and fostering deeper cooperation among allied nations.

"This multilateral exercise met our objectives of enhancing tactical capabilities and interoperability. The seamless coordination and execution of the planned activities highlight the strong defense relationships we share and our collective commitment to ensuring a stable and secure Indo-Pacific region," Brawner added.

In a related development, the "No to US-BBM Proxy War," an anti-war congress, has called for the removal of an EDCA (Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement) Base in Cebu, saying the presence of American forces in the country was illegal and unconstitutional.

"Today, with the fervent will to restore peace, tranquility, and prosperity to our nation, our Asia, and our World, we launch this signature campaign calling for the Removal of the US EDCA Base in the Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base and all illegal, unconstitutional presence of foreign troops and military bases in the entirety of the Philippines' territory," the group said in a statement.

"The US EDCA Base in Cebu is right beside civilian Mactan International Airport, making it a human shield for the American military bases. This is and should be unacceptable to all Filipinos," it added.

During a forum at the Sacred Heart Center in Cebu City, former executive secretary Vic Rodriguez said the Philippine government has surrendered the country's sovereignty to the Americans by hosting EDCA sites.

"The Americans have conquered us," said Rodriquez, who was the campaign manager and spokesman of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Rodriguez said he was not pro-China.

"We are pro-Philippines, and we are saying no to war and no to US military bases, and this is the underlying reason why we are going around the country," he said.

WITH FRANCISCO TUYAY, JAVIER JOE ISMAEL, FRANCO JOSE C. BAROÑA