Ormoc City, Leyte — A group of American and Filipino soldiers visited this city on Wednesday to talk about bringing the Balikatan military exercises in the city next year.
Ormoc Mayor Richard Gomez is supporting the proposal.
The Balikatan is designed to the relationship between the Philippines and the US armed forces through crisis-action planning, humanitarian assistance, enhanced training to counter terrorism and promote inter-operability of the forces.
Capt. Louis Kalmar, humanitarian and civic assistance planner of the Balikatan program, said aside from the enhanced military training, the exercises will have a medical mission and humanitarian assistance as a civic component.
The participants will build or repair new school buildings and toilets in classrooms, provide books and learning materials to the students.
Asked if the move of President Rodrigo Duterte to pull out the US Armed Forces in Mindanao will affect the planned Balikatan, Gomez said that “since the move to pull them out is not yet final, it is best to push through with the initial talks to do Balikatan here.”
“What will benefit most the people of Ormoc, will always be my priority,” he said.
Kalmar said they will return to Ormoc in December to finalize the Balikatan 2017 plans.
Balikatan is a Tagalog word meaning “shoulder-to-shoulder.” The exercises have been the cornerstone of Philippines–US military relations since the US bases in the Philippines closed.
http://www.mb.com.ph/ormoc-eyed-as-balikatan-venue/
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