Racers from the Republic of the Philippines and the

Racers from the Republic of the Philippines and the U.S. huddle around after completing Bayanihan 2012, April 21. Civilians and military alike, both Filipino and U.S., participated in the race that was an organized three, five, 10 and 16-kilometer running race, in Nueva Ecija, Philippines. Armed Forces of the Philippines’ personnel and U.S. service members worked the event into their Balikatan schedules and participated in the event subtitled “Run for Peace and Prosperity,” which started at 5:45 a.m. Furthermore, it gave the military members a chance to interact on a personal and cultural level outside of the training environment. Balikatan 2012 is an annual exercise aimed at increasing interoperability between service members of the Republic of the Philippines and U.S.