US Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy sails to Philippines

From Ang Malaya (Jul 16): US Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy sails to Philippines

United States Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy is now sailing to the Philippines for its third Pacific Partnership 2015 (PP15) mission. Pacific Partnership, an annual engagement, is in its 10th iteration and is the largest annual multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region, the US Navy said.

Mission in Papua New Guinea ended July 10.

USNS Mercy is coming to Philippines after its second PP15 mission in Papua New Guinea and first PP15 mission in Fiji. “The PP15 team worked with the residents of Papua New Guinea in Bougainville and East New Britain to train and exchange ideas.

 Members of the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Timor Leste military forces, as well as government and non-governmental organizations (NGO) also provided medical, dental and surgical care to area residents, and conducted subject matter expert exchanges both on and off the ship,” the US Navy said in a news release.

In Philippines: engineering, medical, dental and veterinary civic action programs as well as community relations, civil affairs and disaster preparedness training activities will be conducted.

Pacific Partnership 2015-Philippines will be held in Capiz Province specifically at the vicinity of Roxas City and the neighboring municipalities of Cuartero, Sigma and Dumarao.

http://www.angmalaya.net/nation/2015/07/16/12204-us-navy-hospital-ship-usns-mercy-sails-to-philippines