The naval exercises come as skirmishes between Beijing and Manila continue to fuel concern about a possible direct confrontation between the two nations.
The Philippines is not the only country engaged in the dispute over control of the South China Sea, as Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also claim a level of sovereignty over the body of water.
But Filipino boats have repeatedly been the target of incursions by the Chinese Coast Guard in recent months, causing damage to vessels and crew.
In the latest hostilities last month, the Chinese coast guard used water cannons that injured a Filipino admiral and four of his navy personnel and heavily damaged their wooden supply boat near the Second Thomas Shoal.
The cannon blast was so strong it threw a crewman off the floor but he hit a wall instead of plunging into the sea, Philippine military officials said.
Washington lays no claims to the strategic seaway but has repeatedly warned that it’s obligated to defend its longtime treaty ally the Philippines if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.
