Latest Development Projects Complete in Sulu, Philippines

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) soldiers, along with US military personnel, turned over four recently completed development projects Mar. 5 to the people who reside in and around Jolo, Sulu in the southern Philippines. The Philippine Information Agency provided details of the ceremony.

The four projects included two roads to improve commerce transport and two deep wells for better access to water. Ongoing development projects, which are lead by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the AFP, are designed to help improve the lives of the local population by providing the infrastructure required to build a better future. Infrastructure improvements help lead to improved security, stability, and prosperity.

U.S. military personnel are in the Philippines at the request of the GRP and provide direct support to the AFP with development projects to counter the influence of terrorists and other violent extremists.

U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) routinely provides support to its friends and alllies in the struggle against violent extremism throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Through military-to-military exchanges or working with both government and non-government organizations, PACOM takes a "whole-of-government" approach to leverage all instruments of national power to enhance security and protect our collective interests.