Local resident Baha Abriera, right, and U.S. Marine

Local resident Baha Abriera, right, and U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. LaDarion Watts, left, hold a ball in the air before the Barangay Bigaa Friendship basketball game May 4 in Bigaa, Albay province, Philippines. Basketball, one of the most popular sports in the Philippines, provided the local community and U.S. service members the opportunity to interact and get to know one another on a personal level during Exercise Balikatan. Balikatan is an annual bilateral exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. armed forces designed to strengthen interoperability and country-to-country relations. LaDarion is assigned to 7th Communications Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, IIIMEF. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Trever Statz/Released)