Young Filipinos talk from a beach while the United States Navy hospital ship Mercy is anchored off the southern Philippines. The ship leaves the Philippines and is heading for other Southeast Asian nations for a series of medical mission. (Zamboanga Journal) ZAMBOANGA CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 20 Jun) The United States Navy hospital ship Mercy ended its month-long medical mission in the southern Philippines after treating tens of thousands of poor Filipinos in the region torn by strife and terrorist attacks.
The USNS Mercy left the island of Tawi-Tawi over the weekend and is heading to other Southeast Asian nations for a similar mission. Kristie Kenney, the U.S. Ambassador to Manila, said the ship's visit to the Philippines was symbol of partnership between two allies.
“The ship’s visit was a powerful symbol of our two nations’ partnership to bring greater peace and prosperity to the country," she said, adding, the 272.5-meter-long USNS Mercy will continue its five-month tour of Southeast Asia, bringing medical and humanitarian care to residents of other countries in the region.
The hospital ship treated more than 60,000 Filipino patients in Zamboanga City and the islands of Basilan, Jolo and Tawi-Tawi in the Sulu archipelago during its tour in the southern Philippines.
"We will never forget the USNS Mercy and its hard-working crew for helping so many poor Filipinos. The hospital ship is no longer here, but Mercy has left us sweet memories and in the hearts of our people and we will not forget these things. We really appreciate everything," Maj. Gen. Gabriel Habacon, commander of military forces in the southern Philippines, told the Zamboanga Journal.
Habacon said the medical mission was important in the southern Philippines because of rampant poverty in the restive region, where troops are fighting insurgency and terrorism. “Poverty is the cause of restiveness, of terrorism and strife in the south and if we can only sustain the delivery of basic services, then perhaps we can change the situation in the region for good,” he said.
The ship arrived in Manila on May 20 from its base in San Diego, where it loaded supplies and personnel from non-governmental organizations and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Volunteers from the U.S. Public Health Service, Aloha Medical Mission, Project Hope and the Pre-Dental Society of the University of California at San Diego joined the medical mission, along with a contingent of medical specialists from the U.S. and Canadian militaries.
Together, they provided medical and surgical services to patients in the ship’s on-board facilities and at hospitals and medical centers on shore with the help of the Taiwanese Tzu Chi Foundation, ACDI/VOCA, Save the Children and the Philippine Red Cross.
“It was very successful. People were treated for many diseases. I hope Mercy will come back to the province of Tawi-Tawi. We hope this is only the first time you come, not the last," said Sadikul Sahali, governor of Tawi-Tawi.
Sharif Ibrahim Ajibul Mohammad Pulalun, of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo, also thanked Washington for sending the USNS Mercy to the southern Philippines. He also urged the United States to send more humanitarian assistance to Jolo and Tawi-Tawi islands and other Muslim areas in Mindanao to benefit the poor.
"There is nothing to say, but praises for the United States, for helping many poor Muslims in Jolo and Tawi-Tawi and Basilan. We thanked the Filipino and U.S. governments for sending the USNS Mercy and all the people who helped in the medical mission. We pray the U.S. would send us more humanitarian assistance, especially in poor Muslim and Christian communities in the southern Philippines," Pulalun, a staunch U.S. supporter, said.
Pulalun was also behind a big pro-U.S. rally in Jolo early this year, where more than 1,000 Muslims gathered to welcome American soldiers on the island for a series of humanitarian missions and trained Filipino troops in anti-terrorism warfare under the so-called Balikatan 2006, an annual joint military exercise between the two countries.
The USNS Mercy was last in the Philippines in 1986 during a humanitarian mission. At least 25 percent of the ship's crew members are Filipino-Americans and Captain Henry Villareal, second to mission commander Captain Bradley Martin, is the highest-ranking Filipino-American aboard the ship.
The USNS Mercy left the island of Tawi-Tawi over the weekend and is heading to other Southeast Asian nations for a similar mission. Kristie Kenney, the U.S. Ambassador to Manila, said the ship's visit to the Philippines was symbol of partnership between two allies.
“The ship’s visit was a powerful symbol of our two nations’ partnership to bring greater peace and prosperity to the country," she said, adding, the 272.5-meter-long USNS Mercy will continue its five-month tour of Southeast Asia, bringing medical and humanitarian care to residents of other countries in the region.
The hospital ship treated more than 60,000 Filipino patients in Zamboanga City and the islands of Basilan, Jolo and Tawi-Tawi in the Sulu archipelago during its tour in the southern Philippines.
"We will never forget the USNS Mercy and its hard-working crew for helping so many poor Filipinos. The hospital ship is no longer here, but Mercy has left us sweet memories and in the hearts of our people and we will not forget these things. We really appreciate everything," Maj. Gen. Gabriel Habacon, commander of military forces in the southern Philippines, told the Zamboanga Journal.
Habacon said the medical mission was important in the southern Philippines because of rampant poverty in the restive region, where troops are fighting insurgency and terrorism. “Poverty is the cause of restiveness, of terrorism and strife in the south and if we can only sustain the delivery of basic services, then perhaps we can change the situation in the region for good,” he said.
The ship arrived in Manila on May 20 from its base in San Diego, where it loaded supplies and personnel from non-governmental organizations and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Volunteers from the U.S. Public Health Service, Aloha Medical Mission, Project Hope and the Pre-Dental Society of the University of California at San Diego joined the medical mission, along with a contingent of medical specialists from the U.S. and Canadian militaries.
Together, they provided medical and surgical services to patients in the ship’s on-board facilities and at hospitals and medical centers on shore with the help of the Taiwanese Tzu Chi Foundation, ACDI/VOCA, Save the Children and the Philippine Red Cross.
“It was very successful. People were treated for many diseases. I hope Mercy will come back to the province of Tawi-Tawi. We hope this is only the first time you come, not the last," said Sadikul Sahali, governor of Tawi-Tawi.
Sharif Ibrahim Ajibul Mohammad Pulalun, of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo, also thanked Washington for sending the USNS Mercy to the southern Philippines. He also urged the United States to send more humanitarian assistance to Jolo and Tawi-Tawi islands and other Muslim areas in Mindanao to benefit the poor.
"There is nothing to say, but praises for the United States, for helping many poor Muslims in Jolo and Tawi-Tawi and Basilan. We thanked the Filipino and U.S. governments for sending the USNS Mercy and all the people who helped in the medical mission. We pray the U.S. would send us more humanitarian assistance, especially in poor Muslim and Christian communities in the southern Philippines," Pulalun, a staunch U.S. supporter, said.
Pulalun was also behind a big pro-U.S. rally in Jolo early this year, where more than 1,000 Muslims gathered to welcome American soldiers on the island for a series of humanitarian missions and trained Filipino troops in anti-terrorism warfare under the so-called Balikatan 2006, an annual joint military exercise between the two countries.
The USNS Mercy was last in the Philippines in 1986 during a humanitarian mission. At least 25 percent of the ship's crew members are Filipino-Americans and Captain Henry Villareal, second to mission commander Captain Bradley Martin, is the highest-ranking Filipino-American aboard the ship.
"The deployment of USNS Mercy to Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific exemplifies the United States commitment to working together with our friends, partners and the regional community," said Admiral Gary Roughead, commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Last year, the USNS Mercy deployed in response to the December 2004 tsunami that struck Southeast Asia.
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