Balikatan exercises benefit marginalized communities

From the Manila Bulletin (Apr 18): Balikatan exercises benefit marginalized communities

The PH-US Balikatan 2013 (BK 13) exercise ended yesterday but it left behind a lasting impact on the lives of thousands of marginalized Filipinos.

After 17 days of joint training that focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster response between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the United States Military, the 29th PH-US Balikatan Exercise officially closed yesterday at the AFP Commissioned Officers Club (AFPCOC) in Camp Aguinaldo.

Present during the closing ceremony were Undersecretary Honorio Asqueta who representend Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin; Brian Goldbeck, the Deputy Chief of Missions of the US Embassy (Manila); AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Emmanuel Bautista ; US exercise director Lt. Gen. Terry G. Robling ; and PH exercise director Maj. Gen. Virgilio O. Domingo.

As the Filipino and American troops returned to their normal duties, thousands of marginalized Filipinos in Central Luzon will be grateful for the projects the troops have delivered to their communities in line with Balikatan 2013.

Like in the past Balikatan exercises, the joint PH and US forces again worked shoulder-to-shoulder to accomplish eight engineering civic action projects (ENCAP), six cooperative health engagements, eight community relations activities (COMREL), and two medical COMRELs that benefited eight communities in Zambales province.

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