Service Members Provide Assistance During Manila Flooding

U.S. service members assisted Philippines officials in the capital Manila with rescue efforts in the wake of torrential downpours Sept. 26 that dumped more than a month of normal rainfaill on parts of the country in a single day. Massive flooding resulted from the rain brought by Tropical Storm Ketsana.

Over a two-day period beginning Sept. 27, service members, assigned to the Joint Special Operations Task Force – Philippines (JSOTF-P), conducted multiple rescue operations of trapped/injured people, transported and distributed food and medical supplies, provided medical treatment of injured persons, moved food and water to disaster relief centers, and evacuated trapped individuals to safety.

As reported in a Philippine Star news story, the JSOTF-P effort was directly in support of local authorities, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC). A JSOTF-P news story provides more details on the assistance.

JSOTF-P is comprised of 500-600 personnel from all four military services temporarily deployed to the Philippines at the request of the Philippine Government.

U.S. Pacific Command has a history of assisting with humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations throughout the Asia-Pacific region, coordinating with host-nations, other nations and non-governmental agencies in support of U.S. Government and international efforts.

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New School Latest Improvement in Ongoing JSOTF-P, AFP Partnership

A new school building in Basilan, Philippines, built by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) with support from Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines (JSOTF-P) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), was turned over to local leaders in the village of Sumisip last week.

The school was reportedly one of two burned to the ground by terrorists in March, as noted in a JSOTF-P news story.

This project is the latest example of an ongoing effort between the AFP and JSOTF-P, working often with government agencies such as USAID and the Philippine Department of Agriculture to improve infrastructure and opportunity in the Southern Philippines as a means of countering violent extremism.

Since January 2008, the AFP-U.S. team has completed 100+ infrastructure projects, including new schools, roads, piers, water wells, medical centers and local government buildings.

JSOTF-P is comprised of 500 to 600 personnel from all four military services temporarily deployed to the Philippines at the request of the Philippine Government in a strictly non-combat role to advise and assist the AFP, share information, and to conduct joint civil military operations.

Interact and keep up with the work of JSOTF-P on the Task Force’s new blog/website.

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JSOTF-P EOD Experts Share Expertise in Southern Philippines

U.S. military Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) experts assigned to the Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines (JSOTF-P) recently provided training to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police in Zamboanga City to safely dispose of 64 pieces of ordnance.

As reported by Philippines outlet ABS-CBN, local ordnance disposal takes place regularly in Zamboanga City, on the southern Philippines island of Mindanao, helping to ensure that ordnance does not fall into the hands of extremists.

The training provided by the JSOTF-P EOD team was timely, as a local police official was badly burned the previous week during an attempt at disposing of black powder.

Sharing expertise in explosive ordnance disposal is just one example of how JSOTF-P assists in building the capacity of the AFP – and other Philippines local and national government agencies through partnership – in support of its ongoing counter-terrorism effort.

At the request of the Government of the Philippines, JSOTF-P provides support to the AFP in several areas, including enhancing the AFP’s ability to provide humanitarian assistance to terrorist-inflicted communities, and through tactical training programs.

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Soldier Saves Three Lives in Philippines

Staff Sgt. Ruben D. Gonzalez, a deployed Army Soldier assigned to the U.S. Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines, was awarded the Soldier's Medal Dec. 2 for risking his life to save three Philippines college students from drowning. Here's the story.

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