U.S. Marines arrive in Philippines

U.S. Marines arrive in Philippines

PHILIPPINES: About 1,500 U.S. Marines arrived aboard three ships at a former American naval base on Sunday for a weeklong war exercise designed to bolster regional security, officials said.

Their arrival at Subic Bay, northwest of Manila, is part of a series of bilateral military drills and is not connected with next month's scheduled visit of President George W. Bush, the officials said.

A row of attack helicopters, their rotor blades tucked down, stood on the deck of one of the ships, the USS Essex. Some Marines waved as a crane lifted a Humvee to the pier below.

Throngs of Filipinos, including relatives of some American soldiers of Philippine descent, stood at a distance on the pier, snapping photographs of the U.S. ships. --AP