Albay Province (30 April) -- United States Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney, during her visit here Tuesday (April 28), promised that humanitarian missions will continue as component of the Balikatan Exercises, with the US-RP military counterparts building roads, school buildings, providing free medical services and other humanitarian projects for the Filipino people.
"I am very impressed by the progress of the US-RP Balikatan humanitarian mission here and in the provinces of Sorsogon and Masbate," Kenney said in a media interview following the inauguration and turn-over of humanitarian-assisted projects in Pioduran town here.
Kenney, along with Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Albay Governor Joey Salceda, graced the inauguration of the 3 km. road built by the RP and the US military engineers as part of the Balikatan 2009 humanitarian projects, in Pioduran town.
The US Ambassador also visited Malipo Elementary School in neighboring Guinobatan town joining the RP and the US military contingents and local government medical personnel providing free medical services to local residents. She also proceeded to Guinobatan East Central School, where she also observed a Summer Camp for Young Emergency Response Team, sponsored by the USAID and run by Save the Children.
"I am very pleased to see the US and the Philippines work together, not just our military forces. We just came from a medical mission... we have civilian doctors, community volunteers, people from the congress and staff helping out. It is wonderful to see us coming together to give, maybe the greatest gift you can give, the gift of health to the people who are in need," she said.
Kenny said that with or without the Balikatan humanitarian mission, US will remain a friend and a partner here, recalling on July 4 some years ago the USS Pelleliu was here in Albay and the marines provided free medical care.
"Balikatan exercises, particularly the humanitarian aspect, provide us great opportunity to work together with our Philippine counterpart, with civilians like myself and the military, to really improve people's lives whether building of roads, school buildings or medical care," she related.
As this year's exercises come to a close, the Joint RP-US Civil Military Operation Task Force reported some 17,314 residents from the three provinces have already benefited from the medical care and services in the 22 Medical Civic Action Program (MedCAP), while two roads, two 2-room school buildings and two water wells were built in the 6 Engineering Civic Action Program (EnCAP) of the Balikatan this year.
This year's exercise, which runs from April 1 to 30 is the 25th in the Balikatan series under the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). (PIA V)