THE Armed Forces yesterday attributed the successful delivery of assistance to typhoon-battered Batanes to military exercises between Philippines and United States, particularly on humanitarian and disaster response (HADR).
AFP spokesman Col. Francel Margareth Padilla was referring to exercises such as the “Balikatan,” the largest among the many training activities annually conducted by the two sides.
“The exercises that we do are not only heavy on defense but also on humanitarian and disaster response,” she said at the “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon” public briefing.
The US has sent air assets for the continuing HADR operations in Batanes, including two KC-130J aircraft, two MV-22 Osprey aircraft, and one Dornier 328 aircraft.
The Philippine Air Force used some of its aircraft in delivering supplies to Batanes, including its C-130 planes and Sokol helicopters.
“The coordination and execution of these operations are facilitated by the experience gained from previous training exercises, such as Balikatan and Salaknib,” she said.
Padilla said sites under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the US and the Philippines were used in the conduct of the HADR operations.
She did not identify which of the nine EDCA sites were used but said these “serve as vital coordination hubs, enabling effective joint efforts and efficient deployment.
The nine EDCA sites are Basa Air Base in Pampanga, Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro City, Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu, Lal-lo airport in Cagayan, Naval Base Camilo Osias in Cagayan, Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Isabela, and Balabac Island in Palawan.
The Americans have been allowed to put up facilities at these EDCA sites, which are inside Philippine military installations.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said 92,138 families or 317,754 persons have been affected by typhoon “Julian” in the Ilocos and Cagayan Valley regions and Cordillera Administrative Region, as of last Wednesday.
The NDRRMC said Julian also left five people dead — two in Ilocos Norte (both drowning), two in Ilocos Sur (both drowning) and one in Cagayan (electrocution).
The cost of damage to infrastructure was placed at P934.48 million while, and to agriculture, P425.92 million.
