Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr., told reporters that about 380 US soldiers and almost the same number of Filipino troops would join the war games, which starts on Feb. 19 in Metro Manila.
"At this time, the field training exercises are still no go, there will be a delay but my understanding is this will be pursued in the next quarter," he said.
Esperon said that by the next quarter, there would be a bigger number of US troops that would arrive to participate in the Balikatan.
For this year, there are 207 bilateral activities that would be held in the country as part of the Mutual Defense Treaty, he added.
Of the total number, 159 are for staff exercises, while the rest are for counter-terrorism and disaster as well as engineering programs, Esperon said.
This year’s Balikatan would include staff exercises at the former US air base at Clark Field while the human assistance activities, civil military operations and engineering civic action programs will focus in Sulu, now the center of a government campaign against terrorism.
Balikatan is only one of the exercises and activities under the Mutual Defense Treaty, which is aimed at enhancing the inter-operability of the Philippines and the United States.
An article in the website of the US Pacific Command quoted Lt. Col. Mark Zimmer, Balikatan public affairs officer as saying that about 400 US service members, mostly from Hawaii and Japan, will take part in this year’s scaled-down military exercise.
The Stars and Stripes article said that US participation would consist mostly of sailors and Marines from Hawaii and the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force.
US troops will focus their efforts on Jolo island, according to the newspaper article.
Zimmer was quoted in the article as saying that the field training requires a lot of planning, and when the exercise was canceled, the US basically had to turn it (the field portion) off.
In his visit to Jolo last Jan. 8, US charges d’affaires Paul Jones announced that the Balikatan would push through as initially scheduled.
"In February we will start again the Balikatan," the US official said after attending a command conference presided over by President Arroyo at Camp Bautista in Barangay Busbus in Jolo.
The US government canceled the scheduled Balikatan exercises on Dec. 22 after a Makati court refused to return to US custody Marine Lance Corporal Daniel Smith, who was convicted of raping a Filipina.
The war games were later resumed after government authorities handed over Smith to the US Embassy in Manila without any court order.
The US said the Philippines was not complying with the mandate of the Visiting Forces Agreement that US military personnel facing charges before a Philippine court should remain in US custody until all legal processes are completed.