Multinational forces helping in 'Yolanda' relief efforts lauded

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 19): Multinational forces helping in 'Yolanda' relief efforts lauded

The Capiz-based Army 3rd Infantry Division on Tuesday expressed its thanks to the multinational force helping in the ongoing relief efforts for victims of supertyphoon "Yolanda" in the Western Visayas region.

Special mention were the members of the Canadian Forces who were the first to arrive in Iloilo last Nov. 14 through the Iloilo International Airport.

Major Gen. Aurelio Baladad, 3rd Infantry Division commander, said the Canadian Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) members were deployed in Western Visayas to conduct medical and engineering mission in heavily-damaged areas.

He added that the Canadian DART used Roxas City in Capiz as their area command post for disaster assistance response operations.

These volunteers, with their mission equipment and supplies, left Iloilo International Airport last Saturday bound for Roxas City, using military trucks of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

On Monday, engineers of the Canadian Forces conducted repairs and assessment in Pontevedra, Capiz.

They were assisted by personnel of the Army’s 552nd Engineering Construction Battalion, 31st Division Reconnaissance Company and Headquarters personnel of the 3rd Infantry Division in digging latrines and road clearing along the route from Roxas City to Pontevedra.

The Canadian Mobile Medical Team (MMT) also conducted a medical mission in an evacuation center in Pontevedra. A medical team from the 3rd Infantry Division also augmented the Canadian MMT.

The team also assessed the health situation in Pilar Capiz for a medical mission.

Major Bob Mead, DART Defense and Security Company commander, and Lt. Cmdr. Brad Eason, DART Medical Officer, cited their excellent working collaboration on the ground with the members of the AFP.

Additional personnel, medical supplies and a huge generator set to be placed at the evacuation center were transported Monday from Iloilo International Airport to Roxas City utilizing the AFP’s military trucks.

Meanwhile, Col. Supardi and Major Situros of the Indonesian Military Defense Attaché arrived at Roxas City Airport on Monday aboard an Indonesian C-130 aircraft.

Indonesia extended 36 tons of relief goods which were transported by a C-130 plane in four sorties.

Relief items also kept on coming in at Roxas City airport.

On Monday, the C-130s of the Philippine Air Force delivered relief goods in two sorties with 37 tons of relief goods. Japan has delivered nine tons of relief items via its C-130 aircraft while Indonesia added another 17 tons of relief items.

The AFP provided support personnel and manpower in unloading and loading of the relief goods, using military trucks and immediately delivered these to the typhoon-victims.

Over the weekend, about 46,500 relief packs were transported by the AFP which could feed the same number of families for two to three days.

On Monday alone, 28,555 relief packs for the same number of families were delivered using Army trucks, Air Force helicopters, and Navy vessels across the region.

Proper management of personnel has been observed by the different commanders on the ground in order to minimize stress among its personnel who have been working since Day 1 of the disaster response operations.

The Army has developed a rotational scheme of truck drivers and support personnel, same with the Air Force where pilots take turns regularly. The Navy, being pre-positioned near the island barangays picking-up relief goods strategically hauled at the mainland, has a similar scheme.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=588307