Philippine and Australian troops set an Eastern Samar live-fire window under Kasangga 2-2026

Philippine Army and Australian Defence Force troops are scheduled to fire live rounds off Barangay Polangi in Taft, Eastern Samar, from 08:00 to noon on Sunday, 8 November 2026, according to a navigational warning carried by the Inquirer and Remate. The Philippine Coast Guard local office issued the notice on Thursday and told mariners to keep clear of a temporary exclusion zone around the exercise area.

The live-fire window is part of Kasangga 2-2026, an Army-to-Army exercise between the Philippine Army and the Australian Defence Force. Coverage in both outlets framed the activity as training meant to strengthen military cooperation and improve the operational capabilities of the two forces.

The Daily Tribune reported on 21 October that the Philippines-Australia Army-to-Army Exercise Kasangga 2026-02 had officially opened on 19 October at the 8th Division Training School in Barangay Fatima, Hinabangan, Samar. The Philippine Army said 234 soldiers were taking part, including 144 personnel from the 8th Infantry Division and 90 Australian Army troops.

According to that opener report, Filipino participants came from the 8th Division Training School, the 63rd Infantry Battalion, the 543rd Engineer Construction Battalion, the 7th Cavalry Company and the 803rd Community Defense Center. Training covered command and control, intelligence, maneuver, fire support, sustainment, force protection and other warfighting functions.

The same Philippine Army announcement described the second Kasangga iteration of 2026 as focused on operational coordination, tactical expertise and the exchange of military knowledge. The first Kasangga cycle this year was held in the Bicol Region under the 9th Infantry Division.

Thursday Coast Guard warning is the concrete next marker after that October start. It converts the month-long Samar ground serial into a named coastal live-fire period with a published maritime exclusion zone, rather than a closed-camp infantry package alone.

Ships and other watercraft planning to pass near Taft were told to note the warning and observe safety precautions while the activity is under way. The Coast Guard also asked agencies and stakeholders to spread the notice so vessels do not enter the restricted area by mistake.

Eastern Samar sits on the Pacific side of the Visayas, away from the South China Sea flashpoints that dominate allied maritime headlines, but the bilateral package is still part of a denser Philippines-Australia land training rhythm that has already produced a second Kasangga cycle in a single year.

None of the Thursday reports listed the calibres, targets or Australian unit designations that will fire on Sunday. Until after-action notices appear, the public record is limited to the Coast Guard exclusion window, the Kasangga label and the October troop count from the Hinabangan opener.

For mariners off Taft, the practical effect is a four-hour Sunday morning closure of a coastal strip while Philippine and Australian soldiers complete a live-fire serial inside an exercise that has already been running for nearly three weeks in Samar.