Mining Firm Rescues Measles-Infected Subanons In South RP

The Medianeros. Lilet, in orange shirt, was among those severely infected in the measles virus outbreak in Canatuan. Her mother, Sisa, a vocal critic of TVIRD, thanked the company for saving her daughter’s life. Above, TVIRD midwife Malou Prestoza (in pink hat), and below, TVIRD nurse Loi Ladera-Esnane administer anti-measles vaccine to Subanon children right where they live in remote hamlet near Canatuan. “We take care of the health of our Subanon hosts as well as we do our employees,” says company doctor Ramil Ignacio.” (Photos by Rene Patangan)

ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 20, 2007) - Sisa Medianero didn’t know what to do when all five of her children, aged 2 to 10, contracted the measles virus.

Lilet, her nine-year old daughter, was among the 30 Subanons, mostly children, who were severely infected during a recent measles outbreak in Canatuan, their ancestral domain in the mountainous eastern portion of Siocon town in Zamboanga del Norte province in southern Philippines.

Sisa, a former small-scale miner and unhappy about the arrival of the large-scale mining operations of TVI Resource Development Philippines, Inc. (TVIRD) in their area, had nowhere to turn.

The nearest hospital is some 30 kilometers away and her sick children, especially Lilet, needed immediate medical attention. She decided to seek the help of TVIRD, which runs a round-the-clock clinic, complete with a medical staff, for its employees and members of its host communities.

It was a decision that Sisa eventually realized was a good one. Lilet’s life was saved, and the Subanon mother said she could never thank the company enough.

“Ako mapasalamaton ug dako sa TVIRD sa pagtabang sa akong anak. Kung wala pa kini mahatagan sa pagtagad sa clinic, hayan adunay dili maayo mahitabo sa akong anak (I am very greatful to TVIRD for helping my child. If she was not given due attention by the clinic staff, something bad could have happened to my daughter),” said Sisa.

Lilet was eventually referred and brought to the Siocon town hospital for further medical care, using TVIRD facilities and financial support.

Elsa Bason Absalon, also a Subanon, had the same dilemma. Her three children, 6 months to 5 years-old, were also afflicted with measles. Her 3 year-old son Robert had high fever and diarrhea.

Fearing for her offspring’s lives, she brought them immediately to the company clinic.

Alarmed and fearing the further spread of the virus in the community and adjacent barangays, TVIRD management assigned its medical team to wage an anti-measles campaign in the area. Children from ages 9 to 48 months were administered with measles vaccine. A total to 507 children, mostly Subanon from Canatuan and surrounding communities received the vaccine. The outbreak was arrested.

“We take care of the health of our Subanon hosts as well as we do our own employees,” Dr. Ramil Ignacio, physician of TVIRD Canatuan, said. “The outbreak, if left unattended, could affect a large number of Subanon children and could even lead to death in some cases, considering that many children here are malnourished and, therefore, have weak immune systems.”

Complications with measles are common especially in remote and isolated areas where medical services are not available. These complications may include severe diarrhea, pneumonia and encephalitis.

During the campaign, Dr. Ignacio’s team found out that, because of the inaccessibility of health services in the area, more than 30 percent of the measles-afflicted children, with an average age of six, never had the required initial dose of the measles vaccine.

For many years before TVIRD began its gold and silver mining operations in Canatuan, indigenous people in the mountain communities of Siocon had to travel several kilometers through rough terrain and across rivers to the town proper to be able to get medical attention.

There were no roads or bridges back then.

As soon as the Canatuan Project commenced in mid-2004 by virtue of a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement between TVIRD and the Philippine government, the company helped pave roads and assisted in the construction of steel bridges along the Ipil-Canatuan route to the west, and the Canatuan-Siocon Proper route to the east.

TVIRD also put up a clinic and schools in and around Canatuan.
The TVIRD clinic serves the community, with a doctor, a nurse, a midwife and nursing aides on-call on a 24/7 basis.

The company has likewise conducted medical and dental outreach programs in far-flung barrios in Siocon and adjacent towns that had never been reached by government and NGO medical services. (Rene Patangan)

RP,US Soldiers, Provincial Health Office Hold Joint Medical Mission In Jolo Island

Scene from the medical mission. Photos contributed to the Mindanao Examiner by the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines.

JOLO ISLAND (Mindanao Examiner / 04 Jul) – Some 900 Muslim villagers benefited from a joint RP-US medical mission on the volatile island of Jolo in the Sulu Archipelago, a known base of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group.

The local Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) also joined the humanitarian project carried out by the US Navy and members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Treatments ranged from tooth extractions to minor surgeries, with many participants receiving medical supplies for various conditions free of charge from the pharmacy. The medical mission was held at the weekend in the village of Suuh.

“We chose Suuh because it is one of the hardest to reach,” said Erma Carpizo, health emergency management staff coordinator for Sulu. “We can only get here by land when it isn’t raining and only by sea if it is.”

The road to Suuh becomes muddy and impassable in the rain, which prevents assistance from being able to reach the people who need it most, she said.

The ability of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the US Navy to use boats made a seaborne landing a possibility early in the planning process, which started nearly a month ago, she said.

“Putting on a MEDCAP from the sea is difficult, because of the high cost of transportation,” said Carpizo. “With that variable out of the equation, it made it possible to get help to where it was needed most.”

The IPHO was able to bring 13 volunteers from the Luuk District and 15 from the Panamao District, including translators, dentists, dental technicians, and nurses to give inoculations and perform malaria smears, she said.

“The IPHO volunteers are the real key to this MEDCAP, because they are a lot more familiar with the needs of the people,” said US Navy Capt. Yves Nepomuceno, officer-in-charge of the USS Peleliu MEDCAPs.

“They give the local population a comfort level, a second person to give clarification in their native language on the medications and treatments we are recommending.”

As part of the Peleliu Pacific Partnership program, Peleliu brought doctors, nurses, dentists, and support personnel to the Philippines for six MEDCAPs, three of which were in the Sulu Province.

“In 23 years as a doctor in the Navy, these are the first humanitarian missions I have been a part of,” said Nepomuceno. “There is a lot of pride in taking care of our own guys, but there is also a lot of pride in taking care of our allies as well. For us in the medical field, it’s why we got into it, to give something back.”

Nepomuceno truly gave something back, and it meant a bit more for him personally, as he is a native Filipino.

“There is a lot of pride for my family, and for me, to come back to the Philippines and serve,” he said. “The Philippine Army soldiers can’t believe a Filipino is an O6.”

Nepomuceno wasn’t the only US Sailor proud of what they were able to accomplish during Peleliu’s stay in the Philippines.

“The people here have been so appreciative,” said US Navy Lt. Elizabeth Solze, an internal medicine doctor from the Peleliu. “It’s so nice to feel like we really able to help somebody.”

Help Our Children!

Please help our poor children in Zamboanga City. They sleep on street in the cold of the night. They beg, but nobody wants to give. They seek, but nobody is there. They knock on door, but nobody is home. They need you, give them your old clothes and old books, and give them vitamins too, send your donations to the Mindanao Examiner. Help us make the children smile again!

U.S. Humanitarian Efforts Praised In Southern Philippines

Philippine and U.S. sailor unload boxes of humanitarian supplies. (Photo contributed by Mark Alvarez.)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 04 Jun) – Filipino villagers praised U.S. soldiers involved in the humanitarian mission in the southern region of Mindanao, where Philippine and American forces are holding a joint naval warfare training.

Some 2,000 troops are currently participating in the ten-day “Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training,” known as CARAT 2007 which started last week.

CARAT 2007 is a combined naval tactical operations exercise involving fleet forces of both the Philippine and United States Navies. The exercise also focuses on relationship building through social and community service events such as providing free medical, dental, and veterinary care in host communities.

U.S. and Philippine sailors visited the Boalan Elementary School in Zamboanga City and donated sports equipment, books, food, and hygiene materials. They also provided free medical and dental care to villagers in Basilan island.

"We are really lucky about all these gifts and many students like me will benefit from the books donated by the Americans," Bennie Santiago, a grade schooler, told the independent Mindanao Examiner newspaper.

“Partnership is the key theme of the bilateral naval exercises ongoing between the United States and Philippine Navies,” the U.S. Embassy said on Monday.

Three U.S. ships -- the USS Harpers Ferry from Sasebo, Japan; the USS Ford from Everett, Washington; and the USS Jarrett from San Diego, California -- and three smaller Philippine boats are participating in the training. (Mindanao Examiner)

For First Time, Indigenous People In South RP Get Medical Help

ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE (Mindanao Examiner / 01 June) - Unmindful of the swirling dusts and the scorching tropical sun, a medical and dental team formed by the mining company TVI Resource Development Philippines (TVIRD), provided much-needed health care services to a remote indigenous mountain village in Zamboanga del Norte in the southern Philippines whose residents – many of whom are anti-mining advocates – had, until recently, protested the company’s presence in the area.

The team launched its first in a series of humanitarian missions in Paduan Ridge, some 13 kilometers from the company’s gold and silver project in Mount Canatuan.

The TVIRD Canatuan Project lies within the 6,253-hectare ancestral domain owned by the Subanon indigenous people in Siocon town.

Throngs of Subanon families trooped to the community tribal hall to avail themselves of the free consultation, medicines, vitamins, food supplements, tooth extraction and circumcision.

The mission, organized by TVIRD’s Community Relations and Development Office (CReDO), also administered oriental cures recognized by the World Health Organization. These include acupuncture, reflexology, moxibustion (an oriental medicine therapy utilizing moxa, or mugwort herb) and ventusa (a Chinese-inspired healing method aimed at removing bad blood in the body).

Alex Clarabal, a CReDO Community Officer, led other trained staff members in administering these cures.

Company physician Ramil Ignacio, speaking before the more than 100 indigenous people who crowded the hall, advised the Subanon community that good health is the real key to development.

"Ang tinuod nga bahandi dili mao ang salapi o bulawan nga atong makuha sa palibot, apan ang maayong panglawas. Angayan nato kini nga alimahan tungod kay pag-antus ang ikadulot niini ug kalisod kun kita magsakit na."

"The ultimate wealth is not the money or gold that we get from around us, but excellent health. We should take care of our health because it would bring about suffering and hardship when we eventually get sick," he said.

Ignacio is a mainstay at the TVIRD-supported Canatuan community clinic, which provides health care to both company employees and Subanon villagers.

Before TVIRD began its operations in Mount Canatuan in mid-2004, residents had to travel at least four hours through inhospitable and dangerous terrain to get medical attention.

The TVIRD medical team was complemented by Miguel Neri II, a dentist from the provincial government of adjacent Zamboanga Sibugay, during the four-day medical mission.

Apart from Paduan Ridge, the team also went to Solonsangan, a hamlet in Tanuman village and Skyline New Village, also within the Siocon ancestral domain.

"Malipayon kami ug mabulahan nga nahodangat dinhi ang TVI aron sa paglusad, sa medical mission, alang sa mga apektadong komunidad. Mao pa kini'y pinakauna nga adunay programang-medikal nga nahiabot dinhi sa among lugar."

"Among gikalipay ang pag-abot ninyo dinhi alang sa pagtunol sa nang-unang serbisyo-medikal," one member of the Paduan indigenous Council of Elders, said.

"We are very happy and fortunate that TVI came here to our place to launch their medical mission for impact communities. This is the first time that a medical outreach program ever reached our place. We welcome your coming here to deliver basic medical services."

For some time, residents of Paduan had been resisting the TVIRD’s attempts to bring social and medical services to the area. A bailiwick of anti-mining advocates, Paduan proved difficult for CReDO personnel to help.

Subsequently, village elders, seeing CReDO’s persistence and their social development projects in neighboring communities, felt TVIRD’s sincerity and allowed the mission into Paduan.

Some 400 Subanons benefited from the company’s medical and dental missions in four of its impact communities.

TVIRD's presence in Canatuan has been largely supported by many Subanon and government officials because of livelihood opportunities and development projects being undertaken by the company in Siocon town.

But there are also rag-tag groups, mostly composed of anti-mining activists from other provinces, allegedly paid by foreign organizations to oppose the operation of TVIRD in Zamboanga del Norte. Some of the money allegedly went to the pockets of their leaders. (With a report from Rene Patangan and Juan Magtanggol)

US Troops Winning Hearts And Minds Of Muslims In Southern RP

U.S. soldiers guard Monday 26 Feb 2007 the Muslim enclave of Mariki in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, where American and Filipino soldiers held a medical mission. A soldier was also spotted playing with a child and a Muslim boy shows a poster of wanted Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya distributed by soldiers. And Celso Lobregat, the mayor of Zamboanga City, looks at a match with photos of wanted terrorists. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 26 Feb) – More than 850 mostly poor Muslims benefited Monday from a joint RP-U.S. medical mission on a remote and dangerous coastal village in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines.

The medical outreach in the Muslim enclave of Mariki was part of the Balikatan 2007, the codename of the joint military exercise between the Philippines and the United States.

"It was really a very warm welcome and we are happy to serve the Filipinos. This is a joint project between the Armed Forces and the U.S. military and part of the Balikatan 2007," the spokesman of the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines, U.S. Air Force Major John Redfield, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Security was tight during the entire medical mission in Mariki, previously used as escape route of criminal gangs and Abu Sayyaf militants operating in Zamboanga.U.S. soldiers were spotted talking with villagers. Children were playing with American troops.

"They are big, just like in the movies and they looked like characters from G.I. Joe. They are kind and gave us free medicines," a 12-year old boy, Usman Hashim, said.

Hashim was referring to the G.I. Joe, the animated television series famous among children in Zamboanga.

Thousands of U.S. and Filipino troops began the training Feb. 18 in Jolo island and is aimed at enhancing combat capabilities of troops, but this year's exercises will concentrate more on humanitarian activities to win the hearts and minds of many Muslims on Sulu Archipelago and on the main island of Mindanao, where the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya are actively operating.

And this would be followed with similar anti-terror trainings in Tawi-Tawi island near the Sabah border and continued in central Mindanao island.

Philippine troops are battling the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants in the troubled southern region. The groups were blamed for the string of bombings in the Philippines and Indonesia that had already killed scores of people the past years. (Mindanao Examiner)

US Navy's "Blue Cruiser" Sails To Philippines For Goodwill Visit

USS Blue Ridge

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 01 Feb) – A U.S. Navy ship, the USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), is expected to arrive in the Philippines for a goodwill mission, the U.S. Embassy announced Thursday.

The 19,600 ton ship, nicknamed “Blue Cruiser”, will deliver donated goods, such as clothes, toys, food, and medical supplies. The crew will also provide free health clinics for citizens in poor or remote communities and conduct engineering projects to construct and improve schools and public buildings.

U.S. officials declined to say the exact date USS Blue Ridge, the third Navy ship named after the Blue Ridge Mountains, a series of ranges in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States, would arrive for security reason.

But U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney the ship’s crew is eager to visit the country and work with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in assisting people in need of humanitarian outreach. The ship will visit select locations in the Philippines.

"The American people are committed to working with our friends and partners in the Philippines. I am proud that the USS Blue Ridge is visiting the Philippines, and I know that the dedicated men and women on board are excited to visit this beautiful country and to partner with the Armed Forces of the Philippines to assist the Filipino people,” Kenney said.

The ship has a crew of 52 officers and 790 enlisted personnel. Aside from them, the Blue Ridge also has a Command Staff with 268 officers and 1173 enlisted men.

In addition to medical personnel, USS Blue Ridge will also deploy with a small team of engineers composed of “Seabee” Sailors from the Naval Mobile Construction Battalion THREE and Marines from the First Marine Air Wing in Okinawa to perform repair and minor construction projects ashore.

They will be joined by a group of Philippine military engineers who will embark onboard the ship. The U.S. 7th Fleet Band is also deployed aboard the ship and will be performing in select locations during its visit to the Philippines.

Since October 1979, the USS Blue Ridge has been forward-deployed to Yokosuka, Japan as the flagship for Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet.

The 194-meter ship participates routinely in U.S. and allied training exercise each year with countries throughout the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean and frequently makes port calls in countries like South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Australia. (Mindanao Examiner)

Operation Goodwill Delivery Benefits Poor Filipinos

Click photo to play video clip

A U.S. combat chopper flies near a U.S. C130 cargo plane Saturday, Jan. 20, 2007 in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines. The cargo plane came from Okinawa in Japan to bring tons of goodwill items donated by U.S. Marines and their families in Okinawa as part of the Operation Goodwill and will be distributed to poor communities in the Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 20 Jan) – A U.S. C130 transport plane arrived in the southern Philippine port city of Zamboanga, bringing tons of goodwill items from Okinawa, Japan.

A U.S. military spokesman Major John Redfield said the cargoes include clothes, food, health care items and sporting goods were donated by the Okinawa-based U.S. Marines and their families as part of the four-year old “Operation Goodwill Delivery”.

“Operation Goodwill Delivery is an annual mission by U.S. Marines and their families in Okinawa designed to say thank you to the people of the Philippines for welcoming the Marines during bilateral exercises,” Redfield told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said the U.S. Marine Corps, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines teamed up in Zamboanga City to as part of Operation Goodwill Delivery in which goods will be donated to the Pasobolong Elementary School and the Reception and Study Center for Children in Talon-Talon village.

He said the cargoes were the second portion of Operation Goodwill Delivery. Last month, U.S. Marines made several deliveries in the northern Philippines. They brought about 22,000 pounds of toys, clothes, sporting goods, health care items, and donated P400,000 to organizations and communities in northern Luzon, Manila, and Palawan. (Mindanao Examiner)

Kenney Leads U.S. Troops In Gift-Giving In RP's Poor

Brig. Gen. Medina (2nd from left) and Ambassador Kenney (center) pose with U.S. Marines and children at Our Lady of Peace Mission in Paranaque City.

MANILA - Ambassador Kristie Kenney led U.S. Marines in distributing gifts to poor Filipino children at the Foundation of Our Lady of Peace Mission in Paranaque City.

U.S. Marines have been distributing more than 22,000 pounds of food, clothing, health care items, sporting goods and toys, as well as more than 400,000 pesos, to communities and organizations in Northern Luzon, Manila, and Palawan during the first part of "Operation Goodwill Delivery".

Members of the Japan-based 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade and their families provided all donated funds and items for hundreds of Filipino children in need and the institutions that care for them, an embassy statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner said.

The soldiers have visited the Philippines for joint military training and exercises.

The Foundation of Our Lady of Peace Mission provides support for nearly 600 children, most of whom live on the streets or in shelters around Metro Manila.

At today’s event, U.S. Marines served a holiday meal to the malnourished children the foundation assists while U.S. and Filipino Marines played Christmas music and soldiers dressed as Santa Claus handed out candies.

Kenney distributed toys and gifts and visited children in the hospital. Brigadier General Joseph Medina, commander of the U.S. Marines from the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, also attended and helped serve the luncheon meal.

The U.S. Marines created “Operation Goodwill” in 2003 to show appreciation to the children and families of the Philippines for welcoming them during annual bilateral exercises. Each year, the U.S. Marines volunteer with their families to gather donations from colleagues in Okinawa and then deliver the toys and supplies to Filipino children over the holiday season.

This month, the soldiers have visited different areas in the Philippines and donated to Philippine charitable organizations and communities. In Puerto Princessa City in Palawan island, U.S. Marines gave toys and supplies to military and community families living near Antonio Bautista Air Base.

In Angeles City in Pampanga province, U.S. Marines also donated both money and goodwill items to Duyan Ni Maria (Mary’s Cradle Orphanage). They also delivered toys and supplies to the Aeta Resettlement and Rehabilitation Center and in Basco island in northern Philippines, the U.S. Marines delivered 2,200 pounds of food, healthcare items, clothes, sporting goods and toys. In Manila, they donated P157,000 to the Foundation of Our Lady of Peace Mission, Inc., to assist in charitable works.

The Marines will return in mid-January for the second part of the operation, during which they will deliver goodwill items to communities and organizations in Zamboanga, Negros, and Leyte.

U.S. Troops Distribute Gifts To Pinoy In Remote RP Island

BASCO ISLAND - After two failed attempts to land over the past two months due to weather, a small group of U.S. Marines from Okinawa, Japan, with a large payload made a short side trip to the Philippine island of Basco with about 2,200 pounds of food, health care items, clothes, sporting goods and toys.

"The third time's a charm," Marine Colonel Gary Shaw, deputy wing commander of 1st Marine Aircraft Wing in Okinawa, said in a statement Saturday."We always refuel our helicopters here on the way to bilateral exercises with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the people of Basco always welcome us. We really wanted to get in here and thank them again this year," he said.

The U.S. Marines were on their way to Luzon province as part of the annual "Operation Goodwill Delivery" with more than 20,000 pounds of goodwill items and about 400,000 Philippine pesos ($8,000 U.S.) destined for communities and charitable organizations in Palawan and Northern Luzon up to Tuesday next week.

The Marines are planning a second half of Operation Goodwill Delivery in mid-January to communities and organizations in Zamboanga, Negros and Leyte.

The U.S. Marines, service members, and their families in Okinawa created this program in 2003 to show appreciation to the children and families of the Philippines for welcoming U.S. Marines during annual bilateral exercises.

The U.S. Marines work each year with their families to gather donations and then deliver toys and supplies to Filipino children over the holiday season.

About two hundred local Filipinos, including town leaders, gathered at Basco's airport to greet the Marines and Santa, who was immediately engulfed by about 30 children as he handed out candy.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: A GOOD SAMARITAN FROM FLORIDA, U.S.A.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Tampabay.rr.com

Hi,

Assalamu alaikum from Florida, USA.

I’ve seen the video on youtube.com from the Muslimah sister asking for help to raise money & or literature for the children @ the local school there …

I was wondering how I could reach this sister by phone so my wife can discus with her how we may be able to help your current situation there…

If you can be kind enough to help me acquire more information about the school that she is principle of & how we may contact her we may be able to give some assistance Inshallah.

It is a very difficult time for everyone, but the children need education & Islamic material to read God Knows …

So hopefully I will hear back from you regarding this & we can unite as the Ummah should to help each other in a time of need …

Take care Inshallah Allah will Bless you & your family there ..

Allahmak...
Assalamu Alaikum...

Bro
Rashid

--------------------

Dear Brother Rashid,

Assalamu alaikum!

Thank you for your letter and I feel so happy that somebody had seen the video of Salamona Hakim, the school principal at the former Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebel base-turned-Muslim community, Camp Abubakre As-Siddique in Barira town in Maguindanao province.

Our poor children in Camp Abubakre are suffering. There is almost no government assistance at all and most of the help they receive come from private corporations and NGOs, but they are not enough.

I was there and saw their situation. The children need education. They don't even have a descent school rooms, but use an empty and dilapidated house as school.

They don't have electricity and use only oil lamps and candles in everyday they do. They need not money, but books and medicines and vitamins.

Here is the mobile phone of Muslimah sister Salamona Hakim +63921 6306433 and her daughter Kat Hakim, who also, like her, teaches the children as volunteer and her mobile phone is +63921 6080816.

Shukran!

Brother Al Jacinto
editor-in-chief

+63918 9180895

mindanaoexaminer.com

about us

reference: help our muslims in southern Philippines http://www.youtube.com/v/bEKNETMQb2o

Japan-Based US Troops Play Santa To RP Kids

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 13 Dec) – U.S. troops based in Japan are to distribute thousands of toys to Filipino children as part of their annual “Operation Goodwill,” a U.S. military spokesman said Wednesday.

Aside from toys, the soldiers, all from the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade in Okinawa, and their families and service members, are also to distribute clothes and sporting goods, including health care and food items throughout the Philippines this week. They will also distribute more gifts next month.

“The U.S. Marines, service members, and their families in Okinawa created this program in 2003 to show appreciation to the children and families of the Philippines for welcoming them during annual bilateral exercises.”

“The U.S. Marines work each year with their families to gather donations and then deliver toys and supplies to Filipino children over the holiday season,” a U.S. Marine public affairs officer, 1st Lt. Eric Tausch, said.

The distribution will begin Thursday in Puerto Princesa City in Palawan island in southwestern Philippines where most of the beneficiaries are military and community families living near the Antonio Bautista Air Base.

The soldiers will also donate a check for P 156,677.50 to Sister Eva Maamo of Foundation of Our Lady of Peace Mission, Inc., to assist in her charitable works. A portion of the money will be use for a special holiday meal Dec. 19 for the malnourished children the foundation assists.

Besides from the Our Lady of Peace Foundation, the group will also donate an unspecified amount to the Duyan Ni Maria (Mary’s Cradle Orphanage) in Angeles City in Pampanga, outside Manila, on Friday.

This will be followed the day of a visit to the Aeta Resettlement and Rehabilitation Center in Subic, the former U.S. naval base, in Ologapo City in Zambales province in central Luzon.

And the U.S. soldiers are also scheduled to present a check Dec. 19 to the Philippine National Red Cross in Manila for use in relief efforts and will help serve a holiday meal and distribute goodwill items at the Foundation of Our Lady of Peace Mission also in the Philippine capital.

U.S. soldiers deployed in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines also played Santa Claus and distributed goodies to mostly poor children and local charities.

An unidentified U.S. Navy officer from the U.S. Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines played Santa Claus. U.S. military forces are in the south on the request of the Philippine government to provide training to local troops, but many American soldiers are also involved in humanitarian activities. (Mindanao Examiner)

Santa Cheers Up Poor Zambo Kids

It's St. Nick, alright!

ZAMBOANGA CITY - Christmas came early for Filipino children in Zamboanga City, thanks to the U.S. military, which arranged for Santa Claus to visit local charities and distribute gifts to needy.

Children were able to tell Santa what they would like for Christmas during the event, which brought holiday cheer to everyone attending, a U.S. military statement said Tuesday.

The North Pole visitor also made an appearance during the city’s “A Night to Remember” holiday family festival on Dec. 9, where he joined local child star Aaron Junatas to toss candy to the crowd and talk to children.

Santa Claus was played by a U.S. Navy officer from the U.S. Joint Special Operations Task Force – Philippines (JSOTF), which is in the country assisting the Armed Forces of the Philippines by providing advice and training, and sharing information.

Muslim Boy Hurt In Jolo Road Accident Airlifted To Zambo By U.S. Troops

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 03 Oct) – A Muslim boy who was hit by a motorcycle in Jolo had been airlifted Tuesday to Zamboanga City on a military helicopter by U.S. and Filipino troops participating in a joint humanitarian mission in the southern island, a nurse here said.

The boy was hit while trying to cross a street near his school in Jolo island, the nurse, who was on duty at the emergency room of the private Western Mindanao Medical Center, told the Mindanao Examiner.

“They brought the boy here in the hospital and those soldiers had been very active in humanitarian missions. They had also airlifted and brought medical patients here in the past,” she said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

She did not say what the condition of the boy was.

Private hospitals in Zamboanga City usually do not give information about its patients or details involving emergency cases.

Hundreds of U.S. troops are stationed in the southern Philippines and also involved in training Filipino soldiers under the so-called Kapit-Bisig, a codename for this year’s joint anti-terrorism warfare training in the southern Philippines.

But more than 500 U.S. Marines are also expected to arrive late Tuesday at the Subic Bay Free Port outside Manila on the WestPac Express, a U.S.-leased high-speed vessel, in preparation for another bilateral training exercises conducted annually by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military as part of their long-standing partnership.

The service members from the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, III Marine Expeditionary Force from Okinawa, Japan, and their equipment are part of an advance element of U.S. forces that will participate in two upcoming RP-U.S. bilateral exercises, Talon Vision and Amphibious Landing Exercise (PHIBLEX) FY 2007.

These forces are arriving to begin preparations for follow-on forces and the many civil-military operations they will conduct to benefit Filipino citizens living near the training areas, including holding free medical and dental programs and completing engineering and construction projects, according to a U.S. Embassy statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

“These routine bilateral exercises, being held from October 16-31, 2006, are designed to improve interoperability, increase readiness, and continue professional relationships between the United States and Philippine Armed Forces,” it said.