RP-US starts joint community efforts under BK 16 in Palawan

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 7): RP-US starts joint community efforts under BK 16 in Palawan

Joint “shoulder-to-shoulder” community efforts under the RP-US Balikatan 2016 (BK 16) kicked off in this city Thursday morning with a book donation, and reading and teaching English at the Wescom Elementary School (WES) inside the Western Command Compound in Barangay San Manuel.

Captain Cherryl Tindog, public information officer of the WESCOM, said joint community services between RP-US soldiers actually started April 4 and will end April 15.

Since April 4, RP-US soldiers participating in BK 16 in this city have already started preliminary work in five different school sites and have engaged in community medical projects that Tindog said have led to information exchanges.

The book distribution will be followed by a First Aid Disaster Response, Sanitation, Hygiene Nutrition and Community Health Education Training on April 11 in barangays Inagawan, Mangingisda, Luzviminda, Kamuning and Inagawan-Sub in Puerto Princesa.

There will also be a three-day Tactical Combat and Casualty Care Training at the Marquez Hall, 570th Antonio Bautista Air Base and the Western Command. The exact date for this was not disclosed.

Other cooperative community projects and field activities will be held too, in barangays Bacungan, Napsan, Simpocan, Cabayugan, Marufinas, and New Panggangan.

RP-US armed forces began the 32nd iteration of the BK 16 on April 4 comprised of 5,000 American service members; 3,500 Filipino soldiers; and around 80 Australian Defense Force (ADF), according to Defense Press Operations Director Navy Capt. Jeff Davis in Washington in the website of the US Department of Defense.

He was quoted in saying that BK 16 “is the premier bilateral training exercise between the United States and the Republic of the Philippines.”

He added “that the major U.S. military participating units include the 3rd Marine Division, elements of the 3rd Marine Logistics Group and the 1st Marine Air Wing, the Army’s 25th Infantry Division and the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team.”

BK 16 is designed to escalate interoperability between the US and Filipino soldiers by way of joint military operations, and to strengthen ties between the two countries.

It focuses on three simultaneous events through a single scenario across the Philippine islands of Luzon, Palawan and Panay, he added.

This year’s Balikatan will center on the two countries’ soldiers participating on trainings on disaster relief, crisis response, and humanitarian civic action projects, including dental and veterinary services and engineering civic access.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=874089