By Brian Campued
The United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) has ordered the deployment of its crisis action team to the Philippines to support ongoing rescue and relief operations in various areas affected by heavy to torrential rains caused by the southwest monsoon and recent tropical cyclone.
This has been confirmed by Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. in a video message posted by the Presidential Communications Office Tuesday night.
According to Teodoro, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief, Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., and USINDOPACOM Commander, Adm. Samuel Paparo, have agreed to combine response efforts in calamity-hit areas.
“Nagkasundo po si General Brawner at si Admiral Paparo, batay po sa pag-uusap namin ni [U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth] at ng ating Pangulo (Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.) na magde-deploy ng crisis action team ang USINDOPACOM, kaalinsabay ng ating Armed Forces of the Philippines,” he said.
“Patuloy itong pag-uugnayan ng dalawang armed forces—ng Estados Unidos at ng Republika ng Pilipinas—at ng iba pang mga kaalyado nating nasyon upang sa ganoon ay makapaghatid ng tulong sa mga nangangailangan at makapagsagip ng buhay,” he added.
The DND chief also said that the air assets of the AFP and USINDOPACOM are also ready to be mobilized anytime for disaster response efforts.
Brawner earlier ordered the activation of Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites across the country as “key hubs for humanitarian assistance” in close coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
“These hubs will serve as staging areas for prepositioning rescue equipment and consolidating relief goods,” the AFP chief said, stressing that the activation of EDCA sites will allow efficient and timely delivery of assistance to displaced and affected families.
Brawner likewise assured that the AFP is working closely with the USINDOPACOM “to ensure seamless interoperability as we utilize these shared facilities, transport, and airlift assets in this mission.”
-jpv
