Batanes local officials with engineers of Philippine and US armies, pose for a group photo after the dedication ceremony of the new HADR warehouse in Itbayat, Batanes on June 17, 2024. (Photo from the Facebook page of the Philippine Army)
MANILA, Philippines — The 513th Engineer Construction Battalion (513ECBn) of the 51st Engineer Brigade (51EBde) of the Philippine Army and United States Army troops have finished building a relief goods warehouse in Itbayat, Batanes.
They held the handover ceremony of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) warehouse last Monday, June 17.
“The construction of the HADR warehouse is integral to disaster preparedness and response strategies, enabling effective management, distribution, and utilization of resources critical for saving lives and mitigating the impact of disasters on affected communities,” the Philippine Army spokesperson, Col. Louie Demi-ala, said in a statement on Thursday.
The project, which started last May 11, is part of the humanitarian civic assistance activities under the bilateral army drills of Manila and Washington dubbed Exercise Salaknib.
Batanes, which is prone to strong typhoons due to its location, about 200 kilometers away from Cape Eluanbi, the southernmost point of Taiwan or the self-ruled island deemed by Beijing as a renegade province subject to reunification.
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Taiwan is near Bashi Channel, a strategic waterway between Batanes’ Mavulis Island and Taiwan’s Orchid Island that is crucial for military operations.