Manila, June 25 -- Filipino and Australian troops formally ended the first "Kasangga" bilateral exercise held in Mindanao on Tuesday.

"The PA (Philippine Army) and the Australian Defense Force bolstered their bilateral defense partnership with the conclusion of the Philippine-Australia Army-to-Army Exercise (PAAE) 'Kasangga' 2025-1 at Montalvan Hall, Camp Evangelista, Barangay Patag, Cagayan de Oro City on June 24, 2025," PA spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said in a statement Wednesday.

A total of 140 from the PA's 504th Combat Engineer Battalion, Combat Engineer Regiment, and selected troops from the 4th and 10th Infantry Divisions trained side by side with 90 Australian Army soldiers during the month-long drills, which began May 19....