Over 200 Philippine and Japanese airmen are expected to join this year's Doshin Bayanihan exercises, a Philippine Air Force (PAF) spokesman said Tuesday.

Col. Alvin Jay Capinguian said a total of 160 PAF and 42 Japan Air Self Defense Forces (JASDF) will join this year's drill that will be held in Cebu and Palawan.

The fifth Doshin Bayanihan was held in October 2025 as first joint activity under the Japan-Philippines Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA). The agreement went into effect on September 11, 2025.

Capinguian said the five-day training aims to enhance the participants "readiness on combined training, exchange of best practices and strengthened bilateral cooperation in response to disasters and other humanitarian emergencies".

"The PAF and JASDF will further strengthen their HADR (humanitarian assistance and disaster relief) capabilities through the Doshin Bayanihan 6 - 26 bilateral training on HADR scheduled on Oct 4 to 9, 2026 at Brig. Gen. Benito Ebuen Air Base in Lapu-Lapu, Cebu and Antonio Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan," he said.

Capinguian said this year's training is longer than last year's Doshin Bayanihan which was conducted from October 7 to 11 in Cebu.

He also mentioned that for the first time the United States Pacific Air Force will send two military officers to observe the annual bilateral air HADR exercises. Robina Asido/PHS