LEGAZPI CITY, (PNA) — Thirty-six United States Marine Corps personnel arrived at the Legazpi City Airport with medical and engineering supplies at 11:00 a.m. Sunday on board two USMC C-130 transport aircraft for the PHL-US Amphibious Landing Humanitarian Exercises here.
Commodore Natalio Abinuman, commanding officer of the Philippine Navy’s (PN) Naval Forces in Southern Luzon (Navforsol), other officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Office of Civil Defense and representatives from the Provincial Government of Albay welcome the USMC humanitarian and engineering team.
The two cargo planes came from Okinawa, Japan where the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit are stationed, US Marine Major Grace Janosek, USMC team leader, said.
Janosek said in a briefing that the PHL-US Amphibious Landing Humanitarian Mission will start on Wednesday until Oct. 10 this year and conduct engineering works and health services in the villages of Taysan, Victory Village and Bigaa in this city.
She said the PHL-US Amphibious Landing Exercises currently being undertaken in the country involve three phases: the Table Top PHL-US military planning exercise in Subic, Zambales and Clark in Pampanga; Amphibious Military combat exercise in Subic and Clark and in Ternate, Cavite; and humanitarian (med-cap, engineering) services in this city.
It is the fourth mission to be held in Albay, citing that similar humanitarian mission was held by the US Pacific Angel in 2010, USS Peleliu in 2007, RP-US Balikatan in 2009.
Janosek said the event is not a combat exercise, but purely humanitarian, civic assistance and capacity-building efforts.
She said the humanitarian assistance is expected to provide free medical and other health-related services to more than a thousand indigent beneficiaries and repair school buildings.
The mission leader said the USMC brought along two doctors, a dentist and medicines and other medical supplies for two-day medical and dental services in the elementary schools of barangays (villages) Bigaa and Victory Village here.
The engineering units will construct a 60-meter perimeter fence and repair three classrooms destroyed by typhoons at the Taysan Elementary School, in Barangay Taysan an upland village some five kilometers south of the city proper.
Abinuman said a similar number of personnel from the Navforsol, Army and the Provincial Health Office will be assigned as the PHL counterpart to the humanitarian mission here.
He said the AFP will also provide the necessary security assistance to the visiting USMC personnel to ensure no harm will happen to them during the exercise.
The navy officer said the humanitarian mission in Albay, specifically in this city, was considered since the province is known in pursuing effective disaster risk reduction and management and climate change adaptation initiatives.
He said it is aimed at improving bilateral cooperation between the Philippines and the United States wherein the two countries will exchange experiences on matters concerning defense agreements and humanitarian services.
Albay is one of the most disaster-prone areas in the country and has many success stories to share on DRRM and CCA.
It also has institutionalized civil-military cooperation in disaster preparedness and response.