AFP, Albay gear up for USAF humanitarian mission

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 18): AFP, Albay gear up for USAF humanitarian mission

The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Provincial Government of Albay are now readying for the Pacific Partnership humanitarian mission of the United States Armed Forces (USAF) before the end of this month here.

Medics and soldiers of the USAF are coming to Albay for a two-week humanitarian mission across the province.

Army Col. Claudio Yucot, commanding officer of the Army’s 901st Infantry Brigade, said a composite team of the US forces will be constructing a school building at the foot of Mayon Volcano.

The facilities can also be used as an evacuation center in the event of disasters, specifically Mayon volcano eruption.

Yucot said at least three classrooms will be built in Daraga town by the USAF in partnership with the AFP soldiers belonging to the engineering battalion.

A state-of-the-art hospital ship of the US Navy will be arriving in Albay next week for a medical mission.

The USAF humanitarian team is composed mostly of medical personnel who will be arriving in Legazpi City port on June 27 through the United States Navy Mercy hospital ship.

This is the first time that a US Navy hospital ship will be visiting Bicol, specifically in Albay province for a Pacific Partnership mission.

Navy Captain Giovanni Carlo J. Bacorbo, commander of Naval Forces Southern Luzon, said the Pacific Partnership is an annual deployment of forces from the Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy (USN) after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

It was conceived to improve the inter-operability of the region’s military forces, governments, and humanitarian organizations during disaster relief operations while providing humanitarian, medical, dental, and engineering assistance to nations in the Pacific.

The humanitarian mission also aims to strengthen relationships and security ties between the US and the Philippines.

Earlier, Lt. Rebecca Wolf of the US Navy made a courtesy call on local officials of Albay and the Naval Forces Southern Luzon Command here.

Part of the two-week Pacific Partnership mission, according to Bacorbo, is the humanitarian assistance's disaster response and community health engagement.

The two-week humanitarian mission beginning on June 27 to July 9 is expected to provide medical assistance to Albayanos, covering three congressional districts on the ground and aboard the ship.

“The Naval Forces Southern Luzon Command is part of the inter-agency task force and the medical mission will be done across the province of Albay, in various hospitals and aboard the USS Mercy hospital ship, depending on the diseases,” Bacorbo said.

The humanitarian mission is part of the Philippine-US Mutual Defense Agreement.

The US Navy Mercy hospital ship last visited the country in 2013, in Tacloban City, to provide assistance for typhoon-stricken communities after the occurrence of killer-typhoon "Yolanda".

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=896443