(Mayor Mel Sarmiento was in Tacloban City yesterday to preside over the Regional Development Council meeting of which he is the chairperson. Reyan Arinto of the Leyte Samar Daily Express interviewed him. Here's Reyan's taken from the LSDE website)
GOVERNMENT CENTER, PALO, Leyte - Calbayog City Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento said around 12,000 residents in his city and neighboring towns in the first district of Samar will benefit from the goodwill service to be extended by the members of the United States Navy Mobile Construction Battalion 133 (NMBC 133).
Sarmiento, who also sits as the chairman of the Eastern Visayas Regional Development Council (RDC), said the team will be conducting engineering assistance projects in Samar along with the 53rd Engineering Battalion of the Philippine Army.
The engineering projects are part of Pacific Partnership 2008, which also includes the visit of the USNS mercy to the Philippines particularly in Mindanao.“We deeply express our gratitude to them (NMBC 13) for extending their support to the people of Calbayog City and Samar,” Sarmiento said.
Sarmiento revealed that the team will help the Army engineers in constructing a health center in Sta. Margarita, renovation of a health center in Calbayog City, renovation of the Gandara District Hospital and help build a pharmacy dubbed as Botika ng Barangay.
“A sanitation project that is the first system compliant to the Sanitation Act passed by Congress years back will be put up by the team in Calbayog. It is also worthwhile to note that the projects are not just being undertaken by the NMBC 133 and the 53rd Engineering Battalion because a lot of non-government organizations have expressed their support for the projects,” Sarmiento added.
It was learned that the team will be staying in the area for one month where aside from the engineering works they will be conducting a medical and dental civil affairs projects next month.
“Doctors from Mindanao will be airlifted to Calbayog City to conduct a 10-day medical and dental mission in San Isidro (Northen Samar), Gandara, Santa Margarita and Calbayog City. We are happy that they will also be bringing in their own medical equipment and facilities for the conduct of their medical and dental mission,” Sarmiento said.
Pacific Partnership 2008 will bring together host and partner nation civilian medical personnel, as well as military medical and construction personnel. The month-long humanitarian and civic deployment is intended to strengthen relations of the United States with Southeast Asia and Oceania.
(REYAN L. ARINTO)
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