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An Ongoing Partnership to Benefit Victims of Natural Disasters: U.S. Navy Ship Visits Legazpi for Humanitarian Projects

A local youth touring the visiting USS Comstock takes the helm of the U.S. Navy ship. Local citizens, including dozens of children, visited the ship in Legazpi City during its week-long humanitarian visit to the Philippines. The USS Comstock ship visited the Bicol Region in March to deliver nearly 10,000 pounds of donated goods such as clothes, toys, food, and medical supplies; provide free health clinics for citizens who are still homeless; and conduct engineering projects to repair, improve, and clean schools and evacuation centers.
American and Philippine Sailors work at Rawis Elementary School to clear debris from the yard so children can play safely. The two militaries partnered during the visit of the USS Comstock to the Bicol Region on several humanitarian projects to benefit families who are still recovering from typhoons in 2006. At Rawis Elementary School, the Sailors and Marines repaired the roof, which was blown off by Typhoon Reming; installed new ceilings; added walls, windows, and doors; and painted.
Families staying at several evacuation centers in the Legazpi area received free medical care from the USS Comstock, the AFP, and local officials during the week-long visit of the U.S. Navy ship. Families received free care such as immunizations, general health checkups, and minor procedures. The humanitarian visit of the USS Comstock is part of Operation Goodwill, which was created in 2003 by U.S. Marines and Sailors and their families in Okinawa to show appreciation to the Philippine people for welcoming them during annual bilateral exercises. The U.S. Marines have returned each year since then with donations of toys and supplies from their families for Filipino children and communities.
An American Sailor presents a gift to a student at Ranola High School in Legazpi. In conjunction with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Okinawa, Japan-based U.S. Marines and Sailors and colleagues from the San Diego-based USS Comstock visited the Bicol Region in March to deliver nearly 10,000 pounds of donated goods such as clothes, toys, food, and medical supplies; provide free health clinics for citizens who are still homeless; and conduct engineering projects to repair, improve, and clean schools and evacuation centers.
Commander Burt L. Espe, the Commanding Officer of the USS Comstock, helped a U.S. Sailor pass out cookies and juice to students at Rawis Elementary School. The school was built by U.S. and Philippine forces during the annual Balikatan bilateral military exercises in 1973, and was re-dedicated by U.S. Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney in a March 16 ceremony after a team of U.S. and Philippine Marines and Sailors partnered once again to repair the school, which was severely damaged during Typhoons Reming and Milenyo in late 2006.
Ambassador Kenney and U.S. Marine Brigadier General Joseph Medina (2nd from right) pose with the American and Philippine soldiers who helped rebuild parts of Rawis Elementary School during the visit of the USS Comstock to Bicol.
U.S. Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney and U.S. Navy Commander Burt L. Espe, who is a Filipino-American, are pictured at a ceremony to turn over 12 pallets of goods on behalf of Project Handclasp and the U.S. Navy to the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) for Bicol communities affected by typhoons. The goods donated to families in Bicol include medical supplies, clothing, toys, hygiene kits, and sports equipment.
The Mayon Volcano overlooks the USS Comstock off the coast of Legazpi. The ship's visit in March was the second time that the USS Comstock has been in the Philippines: The ship participated in evacuation operations after Mt. Pinatubo erupted in the early 1990s. Her March 2007 visit was to assist families who are still recovering from typhoons in late 2006. U.S. Sailors and Marines visited local schools and evacuation centers for construction projects and to conduct free medical clinics with the AFP, and also donated thousands of goods such as food, clothing, toys, and hygiene items.

Last Update :: 03/21/2007

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