US soldiers build bridges of friendship in Albay

From the Philippine News Agency (May 1): US soldiers build bridges of friendship in Albay

Barely a week of working with villagers in remote communities in Albay, soldiers of the United States Armed Forces have already built bridges of friendship with cooperation of the locals here where they are undertaking a humanitarian mission.

US Army Staff Sgt. Adriane A. Hackleyson and two of his companions in the 84th Engineering Battalion, 643rd Company based in Hawaii, which is currently constructing a clinic in Barangay Malobago in this town, have developed friendship with children when they took time to read a book for them during their break time. Hackleyson and his colleagues -- US Marines SPC Ryan R. Marshell and LCPL Ezequiel E. Santelices of the MWSS 172 Combat Engineering based in Okinawa, Japan – took turns in reading a book for their new-found friends Angel O. Diaz, 11; Chattelyn Pearl Arevalo, 11; and Danna Joy Oliquindo, 11 – all incoming Grade 6 pupils in June at the Malobago Elementary School.

In return, the friendly children here also taught the US soldiers how to read a Filipino book as well as speak the local dialect as a way of exchanging information and culture.

Army Captain Edward Ellingson, USAF Civil-Military Operations chief, said that in his 25 years in military service, this is his first time for him to engage in humanitarian service as a departure from the usual military work as his job is in air defense artillery, which, he said, means his task is to shoot down enemy aircraft.

“I’m so happy with this mission because we’re able to work with a community where our soldiers have fostered good relationship with the people in Albay and learned a lot from our Filipino counterpart. The building we erected might crumble in the future but the friendship and the memories we gained will be cherished forever,” Ellingson said.

“We’re working together today for a better tomorrow. From the ground, Filipino children are so friendly playing with our soldiers. I’ve been to 23 countries and this is my first time in the Philippines. The Filipino smile is a very sincere one. My experience here is among the best and the most productive mission,” he added.

The month-long RP-US Balikatan 2014 humanitarian mission in Albay began on Tuesday but in less than a week of working in the remote communities of Guinobatan town and Legazpi City, the US troops have won the hearts and minds of the people in the countryside.

Col. Curtis Lee, the commander of the Joint Civil Military Operations Task Force and the Balikatan 2014 USAF, said they are working shoulder to shoulder with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and work directly with the people.

“You will see our men from the USAF out there in your communities doing engineering projects and working with your medical community personnel, and we want to emphasize that we will be learning as much from you as you are from us. We are all here to share the best practices,” Lee said.

The Balikatan Exercise 2014 is a bilateral activity between the AFP and the USAF focusing on Humanitarian Civic Assistance Programs with two major categories; the Engineering Civic Assistance Program (ENCAP) and Cooperative Healthcare Engagement (CHE), which are aimed to benefit the communities of Legazpi and the town of Guinobatan.

The ENCAP includes construction of classrooms at the Malobago Elementary School and the Doña Mercedes Elementary School, construction of a public comfort room at Barangay Pawa in Legazpi, repairs and improvements in the Tamaoyan Elementary School, and construction of a barangay health center at Barangay Malobago in Guinobatan.

For the CHE program, there will be a health symposium with professional health workers from the Bicol Region, expert exchanges of ideas with barangay health workers, and healthcare engagements with people in Barangay Sinungtan and Barangay Doña Mercedes in Guinobatan, and Barangay Rawis in Legazpi.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=639620