'Balikatan' shift due to PHL vulnerability to disasters

From the Philippine News Agency (May 19): 'Balikatan' shift due to PHL vulnerability to disasters

The decision to focus this year's "Balikatan" humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) was due to the Philippines' vulnerability to disasters, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said during the closing ceremonies of the annual military exercise Friday.

"Last week, I was asked by media why we have shifted our focus on the exercise from territorial defense to HADR, well, I told them because we have to address some of the pressing problems of the country, we lie within the typhoon belt and the Ring of Fire, we are visited by typhoons at least 20 times a year and once in a while we have strong earthquakes like what happened in Bohol some four years," he added.

The just-concluded drills, the DND chief said has also boosted the Philippines capability to respond to calamities earthquakes.

"In fact, only this month, there was a briefing given to us by the PHILVOCS (Philippine Institute of Vulcanology and Seismology) saying that they are expecting the 'Big One" in Metro Manila because there is a big fault here (the Marikina fault) and according to them, the cycle of this (fault) is every 400 years and the last time that there was a big earthquake here in Metro Manila was in 1640, (so it's) about time (we start planning for this eventuality)," he added.

He added that the just-concluded "Balikatan" will help the military come up with measures to mitigate its effects.

"Trainings and drills are critical in order to improve stance, effectiveness and speed in the event of natural disasters and other crisis that endanger public health and safety," Lorenzana said.

This year's "Balikatan" exercises started May 8 and ended officially on the 19th.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/989256