DWDD: CAPABILITY SHOWCASE | TOW WESTMIN Hosts Stakeholders Forum on HADR

From DWDD AFP Civil Relations Service Radio Website (Apr 12): CAPABILITY SHOWCASE  |  TOW WESTMIN Hosts Stakeholders Forum on HADR

  

EDWIN ANDREWS AIRBASE, Zamboanga City (DWDD) – The Tactical Operations Wing Western Mindanao is very proud to play host to this year’s Stakeholders Forum on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response on April 6, 2018 at Edwin Andrews Air Base Grandstand, Sta. Maria, Zamboanga City with Colonel Rafael M Alunan III PA (GSC) (Res) as the guest of honor and keynote speaker.

TOW WESTMIN has played a significant role consistent with its mandate of providing airpower to all surface forces in its area of responsibility. We have the capability to provide Close Air Support assets and heli-lift platforms to our combat forces as exemplified in the just concluded Marawi Air Campaign. We also provide airlift and heli-lift capability to our stakeholders using our Uh-1h and C-130s.

But aside from our military role, we also play an active part in national development and in a more specific way – in humanitarian assistance and disaster response through our search and rescue missions. In fact, in the recent Typhoon Vinta, TOW WESTMIN flew a total of 21 hours, 23 sorties, ferried 35 passengers, and airlifted 6,700lbs of cargoes.

Today, we take another big step to ensure the commitment of our unit and the PAF to the people of Western Mindanao through this Stakeholders Forum on HADR. We are indeed very lucky with the presence of our subject matter experts who will later on explain and elaborate on substantive topics on PAF capabilities in SAR, Region 9’s disaster response plan, and a discussion of the Philippine Disaster Management Plan to be delivered by our highly esteemed keynote speaker. We also have a SAR Capability Demonstration which was performed by our SAR pilots, crews, our reservists, and other rescue units here in Western Mindanao.

This Stakeholders Forum initiated by TOW WESTMIN featured distinguished speakers on the subject matter. These SMEs include BGen Leoncio A Cirunay Jr AFP (Res), Director, Office of Civil Defense, Chairperson, NDRRMC Region IX, on the topic “Region IX HADR Plan” and Col Frederick M Cutler, Group Commander of 505th Search and Rescue Group on “PAF Capability in HADR.”

Stakeholders’ Forum was attended by local government units, non-government organization and different stakeholders of Zamboanga City. TOW WESTMIN / MCAG













http://dwdd.com.ph/2018/04/12/capability-showcase-tow-westmin-hosts-stakeholders-forum-on-hadr/