P303-million new Balabac Airport in Southern Palawan is in the feasibility study stage. Some of the road projects are the 450-kilometer El Nido-Bataraza-Rio Tuba Road costing P3.21 billion will serve as the road backbone of Palawan.
Ambassador Kenney and Secretary Yap are briefed on varieties of stocks being bred at the Mindanao State University Tawi-Tawi Abalone/R&D Training Center and Gene Bank, a partnership project that USAID helped set up. The training center looks for new ways to improve the yield of fish and provides ongoing training for the multi-species fish hatchery staff.
Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC)
Director Jobert
Toledo (right) briefs (from left) Mindanao Economic Development Council
(MEDCO) Chairman Virgilio Leyretana, Ambassador Kenney, Governor
Sahali, and Philippine Agriculture Secretary Yap on the breeding cycle
of abalone at the Tawi-Tawi Multi-Species Fish Hatchery in Lato Lato on
March 31. The first commercial multi-species hatchery of its kind in
the Philippines, and it will serve as a model for other similar
facilities in Mindanao. The Ambassador witnessed the formal turn-over
of the fish hatchery from the national government’s Bureau of
Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to the Provincial Government of
Tawi-Tawi.
Lt.
Col Jacinto de Vera PN(M) & Cpt. Joseph Navarrio USMC,
Operations Officer, 31st MEU take rounds at the
engineering civic action site at Balabac Nat’l High School on
27 Feb 08
RP-US soldiers participating in the joint Balikatan Exercises 2008 landed in the municipality of Balabac at the southernmost tip of Palawan on February 26 to start a week-long cross training on humanitarian operations.
This year’s Balikatan, which means “shouldering the load together” in English, will provide free medical and dental services to around 500-1,000 residents of Balabac.
Commander Michael Ordoño, the head of the Civil Military Operations of the Western Command (Wescom), and Lt. Col. Jacinto de Vera, its spokesperson, both said the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit of the U.S. Marines based in Okinawa, Japan and the Filipino soldiers will be leading the conduct of the humanitarian and civic assistance project in Balabac.
“Nais nating linawin na ang Balikatan na isinasagawa dito sa Palawan ay hindi isang military exercise, ito’y more on humanitarian and civic assistance projects (We just want to clarify that the Balikatan we have here in Palawan right now is not really going to involve military exercise, but will be more on humanitarian and civic assistance projects),” Ordoño said.
De Vera said the humanitarian mission was brought to Balabac because there is a need to help residents there base on its socio-economic profile. Apparently, the island town is one of the municipalities whose access to medical and dental services is limited due to its distance.
By March 2, the RP-US soldiers expect to finish their humanitarian operations which will include engineering civic action project (ENCAP), medical civic action project (MEDCAP) and community relations.
U.S. Marines Lt. Ayessa Toler, who herself has Filipino roots, said the peace-keeping operation in Balabac is an experience she will always remember. “Working to help many Filipinos is a wonderful experience.”
The humanitarian operations of Balikatan aim to improve the Philippines-US combined planning and interoperability competence for operations ranging from humanitarian assistance to peace-keeping operations. This joint military exercise is the latest step in increasing the relationship between the US and the Republic of the Philippines.
The municipal officials of Balabac expressed their gratitude to the RP-US soldiers who participated in the Balikatan peace-keeping activity, saying many of their residents received medical and dental help that they have difficulty accessing because of their distance from mainland Palawan.
