KAMANDAG 3 OPENING CEREMONY Begins by Lance Cpl
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Subic bay news vol 12 no 37 20.00Php Tapas Bar and Restaurant 2nd Floor Subic Gas Bldg 724, Dewey Avenue, Subic Bay Freeport Zone Exercise KAMANDAG 3 KAMANDAG 3 OPENING CEREMONY begins by Lance Cpl. Hannah Hall 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade SUBIC BAY, Philippines --The 3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade and the Philippine Marine Ready Force opened Exercise KAMANDAG 3 on Wednesday, October 9th with a ceremony at the Subic Bay International Airport. KAMANDAG 3 will take place from October 9 to 18, 2019, at multiple locations on the Philippine is- lands of Luzon and Palawan. KAMANDAG 3 is a bilateral exer- cise between the Republic of the Philip- pines and the United States, which also features participation from Japan. The Philippine-led exercise will include mili- tary-to-military exchanges between Phil- ippine, Japanese, and American forces, with a focus on improving counterter- rorism and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capabilities. Philippine and U.S. service mem- bers will conduct training in amphibious operations, live fire drills, military oper- ations in urban terrain, reconnaissance, low altitude air defense, aviation opera- tions, humanitarian assistance and disas- ter relief, combat lifesaving, and other areas during KAMANDAG 3. The training will enhance cooperation and interoper- ability between Philippine, Japanese and U.S. forces, as the countries continue to reinforce their commitment to support each other as friends, partners, and al- lies. “The exercise is a meaningful indica- tor of the solidarity that exists between allies. The KAMANDAG training under- scores not only our excellent coopera- SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma (center) joins BGen Arwel Oropesa (3rd right), Deputy Commander of the AFP tion, but also the higher professional Northern Luzon Command; Maj Gen Paul Rock (3rd left), Commanding General of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Battalion; Maj. Gen standards and competency most valued Shinichi Aoki (2nd right) of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, and other senior officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines during by our militaries.” the opening of KAMANDAG 3 (Kaagapay Ng Mga Mandirigma Ng Dagat), a military exercise between the Republic of the Philippines Brig. Gen. Ariel R. Caculitan, deputy com- and the United States which also features participation from Japan. The ceremony held on October 9 at the Subic Bay International mandant, Philippine Marine Corps Airport in the Subic Bay Freeport kicked off the 10-day Philippine-led military interoperability training exercise combined with human- itarian and civic assistance projects in different locations in the Philippines. Photo by Jun Dumaguing/SBMA-MPD) The Japan Self-Defense Force’s participation in the exercise will focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief training scenarios. The Philippines, PHISGOC lauds Subic preparations for SEA Games Japan and U.S. will also partner for a SUBIC BAY FREEPORT —Philippine sports variety of community relations events, including teaching hundreds of local ci- officials lauded the successful staging of vilians about lifesaving skills, disease the modern pentathlon test event here prevention and personal wellness. Bring- on Wednesday and expressed confi- ing military service members and local dence that the upcoming competitions populations together for exercises like in Subic will go smoothly. KAMANDAG 3 develops lifelong friend- Philippine SEA Games Organiz- ships and connections that strengthen ing Committee (PHISGOC) chief oper- the partnership between the three coun- ating officer Ramon ‘Tats’ Suzara ob- tries. “I would like to embrace this served that the preparations here are treasured opportunity to have KAMAN- well-organized, as he viewed the test DAG 3 in this beautiful country,” said Maj. run with Philippine Modern Pentathlon Gen. Shinichi Aoki, commanding general, Association (PMPA) president Richard Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade. Gomez, Subic Bay Metropolitan Author- “The training items will be much more ity (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator integrated and also have many more Wilma T. Eisma, PHISGOC Subic Cluster participants, which shows it is a growing overall head Ramon Agregado, and other exercise.” sports officials. KAMANDAG is an acronym for the Filipino phrase “We have raised the level of SEA “Kaagapay Ng Mga Mandirigma Ng Dagat,” which Games to Asian Games level,” Suzara translates to “Cooperation of Warriors of the Sea,” highlighting the strong partnership between the pointed out during the test run at the Philippine and U.S. militaries. KAMANDAG 3 will Boardwalk Park here. increase overall Philippine and U.S. readiness, “I’m very, very confident that improve combined responsiveness to crises in the with the support of SBMA Chairman Indo-Pacific region, and strengthen both countries’ decades-long partnership. Amy Eisma and Monch Agregado here, “On behalf of the United States, we re- as well as with the support of PHISGOC, main committed to upholding our defense treaties, we’ll have a very successful and well-or- TEST RUN: PMPA president Richard Gomez, PHISGOC chief operating officer Ramon reinforcing maritime security efforts, and maintain- ‘Tats’ Suzara, and SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma watch as Team ing regional stability,” said Maj. Gen Paul. J. Rock ganized Subic Cluster for the SEA games,” Jr., commanding general, 3d Marine Expeditionary Suzara added. Philippines compete against Team Thailand in the modern pentathlon test event at Brigade. “I am confident that we will achieve these Wednesday’s test run, which saw the Subic Bay Freeport objectives throughout this exercise, and that to- Team Philippines sweeping all three gold gether, we stand ready to face any challenge.” medals at stake, was the first of a two- day event designed to let participants and coaches experience the look and feel of the actual event. PHISGOC Subic Cluster over- all head Ramon Agregado said the test event benefited from a good set-up. “Ev- erything went well, and even the weath- er cooperated,” he said. “I’m sure every- body will agree that the look and feel of the event is world-class, so we hope to build on that and be ready by the open- ing of the games,” he added. In a press briefing after the test event, PMPA president Richard Gomez thanked PHISGOC and SBMA for putting up a successful test run and lauded secu- rity preparations here, as well. Branch: 1677 Rizal Ave., West Tapinac,Olongapo City see PHISGOC, page 02 Athletes line up their shots during the laser-pistol shooting leg of the modern pentath- lon test event at the Subic Bay Freeport on Wednesday. Subic Bay News www.subicbaynews.com 02 SBMA steps up infra rehab program Sandiganbayan Justices SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) is step- ping up the rehabilitation of roads and Discuss Money other public infrastructures in this pre- mier Freeport with a P1.6-billion budget that would be used mostly for the repair Laundering and of major thoroughfares, key drainage systems, and critical eroded slopes. According to SBMA Chairman Financial Crimes with and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma, the Subic agency is now simultaneously un- dertaking four road repair projects, two U.S. Experts slope rehabilitation projects, and one drainage system improvement project to fix ageing facilities constructed when Subic was still an American naval base. “We have a lot to catch up on because there wasn’t much rehabilita- tion projects done since Subic became a free port in 1992,” Eisma said. “We are doing several projects concurrently, not only because we are hosting the upcom- ing Southeast Asian Games, but more so because we need to redevelop Subic and keep it sustainable as an area for invest- ments.” According to a project status re- port from the SBMA Engineering Depart- ment, there are 13 construction projects worth a total of P733.4 million that are in various stages of implementation. These include the repair of the El Kabayo Road and a slope rehabilitation project in the same area that were completed early this year. The biggest chunk of the bud- get went to the 2018 road rehabilitation package which costs a total of P274.54 million and covers areas such as the Ma- lawaan Park parking area, road ramp along Dewey Avenue, Waterfront Road, Philippine Sandiganbayan Justices pose with Philippine Judi- road to the New Container Terminal, cial Academy leadership and U.S. judicial and Embassy person- Rizal Highway, Maritan Highway, as well nel. as several roads in residential areas. Manila, October 12, 2019 — 21 Sandiganbayan jus- Eisma said 2018 road project, tices participated in a roundtable with U.S. experts which has a completion date of Decem- organized by the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines U.S. ber 21, 2019, is expected to ease the Department of Justice Office of Overseas Prosecutorial traffic in some of the busiest roads in the Development, Assistance, and Training (DOJ/OPDAT), Freeport. the Supreme Court of the Philippines, and the Philip- Another major undertaking is pine Judicial Academy. The event aimed to enhance the implementation of the P225.48-mil- participants’ capabilities, competencies and skills in lion 2019 Road Rehabilitation Project Workers pour concrete to pave the Waterfront Road under the SBMA’s examining and adjudicating money laundering and fi- 2019, which is currently in the mobiliza- infrastructure rehabilitation program. nancial crimes, deepen understanding on how to freeze assets, recover laundered property, and ensure proper tion and as-stake