Eastern Visayas police support Pacific Partnership 2012

CAMP RUPERTO KANGLEON, Palo, Leyte -- The Philippine National Police in Eastern Visayas supports the Pacific Partnership 2012 Medical Mission Program.

Samar Provincial Police Office (SPPO) led by Provincial Director Eusebio Adamero Mejos, together with PCI Marben Elmer Ordonia, Samar Provincial Public Safety Company (SPPSC) led by Police Superintendent Elmer Cinco, and SPPSC Swat led by Zaldy Cagampang, escorted US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas Jr. and US Admiral Cecil Haney and party from the Calbayog City Airport to Northwest Samar State University last June 19 for the opening of Pacific Partnership 2012 Medical Mission Program.

The party visited Calbayog Sports Center where the patient screening was conducted. Around 3:25 p.m., Haney left, while US Ambassador Thomas together with DSWD Secretary Corazon Soliman proceeded to Barangay Inoragyao and Napuro of Santa Margarita, Samar to visit the Kalahi-CIDSS and MCA-P school building projects.

It was learned that on June 18, the Military Sealift Command’s hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) arrived in the Philippines to begin the second host nation visit of the Pacific Partnership 2012 Medical Mission.

Now on its seventh year, Pacific Partnership is the largest annual Humanitarian and Civic Action (HCA) mission in the Asia-Pacific and is designed to strengthen regional partnerships and enhance a collective ability to respond to natural disasters and crisis.

This year’s Pacific Partnership represents a multinational, multi-organizational team that includes joint military and civilians from Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Japan, Malaysia, Peru, the Netherlands, the United States and some Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), including Global Grins, Latter Day Saints Charities, Project handclasp, project Hope, University of Hawaii Schools of Nursing and Engineering, University of California San Diego Pre-Dental Society and World.

At the invitation of the Philippine government and in partnership with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the participants will employ their collaborative HCA capabilities to provide medical, dental, veterinary, public health services, civic engineering and disaster response activities to help the local communities of Northern and Western Samar including San Isidro, Calbayog and Catbalogan cities.

This is the third visit of USNS Mercy to the shores of Samar, marking the 25th anniversary of Mercy’s maiden voyage and first visit to Calbayog in May of 1987. (Leyte Samar Daily Express)