Albay in PH-US exercise

From the Manila Standard Today (Apr 20): Leyte, Albay in PH-US exercise

AROUND 5,500 Filipino and American soldiers will participate in this year’s Balikatan exercises starting on May 5 in various venues in the country, including a series of humanitarian and civic assistance activities in Tacloban City in Leyte and Legazpi City and Guinobatan town in Albay.

Capt. Annalea Cazcarro, spokesman of the Balikatan exercises, said at least 2,500 American soldiers will arrive in the country for the annual large-scale training activity which starts on May 5.

Cazcarro said field training exercises will be held at the Naval Station San Miguel in San Antonio town in the province of Zambales.

Other training venues for this year’s Balikatan exercises are Fort Magsaysay, Clark Air Base, and Marine Base Ternate which are all in northern Philippines.

She said staff exercises focusing on humanitarian assistance and disaster response would be held in the western Philippine city of Puerto Princesa.

Balikatan 2014 (BK14) organizers have earlier booked about 400 hotel rooms in Legazpi for their civil military operations for a full month period, representing about 60% of high-end quality room capacity in the province.

The event is the fifth similar PHL-US military-related activities which Albay had hosted since 2007.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said BK14 lends support to the provincial and local government units community outreach initiatives, enhances the program’s interoperability between the participants and local stakeholders, promote the BK14 Exercises and further enhance PHL-US bilateral relations.

Salceda said BK14 civic assistance activities will include Engineering Civic Assistance Program (ENCAP), Cooperative Healthcare (MED/VET) engagements, and Civil Military Operations and Community relations activities in Legazpi City. Guinobatan and several other nearby towns.

BK14 activities, held simultaneously in other parts of the country, involve some 5,500 US and Filipino military personnel. In Albay, some 400 US soldiers will participate in the HCA.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2014/04/20/leyte-albay-in-ph-us-exercise/