OLONGPAO CITY, ZAMBALES, Republic of the Philippines -- No nation or community is immune to the hazards of severe weather and, unfortunately, the community of Olongapo City, Zambales, Republic of the Philippines, is no different.
Heavy rainfall from Typhoon Usagi flooded Olongapo streets, homes and schools with mud and debris during late September. The magnitude of the flooding caused the city’s council to declare Olongapo under a state of calamity.
Once the flood-waters receded, a group of 39 U.S. Marines and sailors volunteered their time to assist Olongapo police officers and community members as well as Philippine soldiers to clean three flood-damaged schools Sept. 29 during Amphibious Landing Exercise 2014.
The Philippine soldiers were with the Philippine Army Reserve Command. The Marines and sailors were with 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, III Marine Expeditionary Force.
“This community relations project exemplifies the strong partnership and spirit of cooperation formed between the U.S. and Philippine Armed Forces over our 63-year alliance,” said Col. John M. Peck, the 3rd MEB chief of staff.
PHIBLEX 14, a bilateral training exercise, is designed to improve Philippine-U.S. interoperability, increase readiness, and enhance the ability for a bilateral force to respond to natural disasters or other regional contingencies.
The team of Filipino and American volunteers assisted cleanup efforts at Santa Rita High School, Santa Rita Elementary and Olongapo City Elementary, according to Peck.
“Seeing Marines working side-by-side with our Filipino counterparts strengthens the bonds we’ve forged over the past, while at the same time providing some assistance to a community that has been such gracious hosts to us over the years,” said Peck.
The flooding disrupted the city as a whole, and several schools closed for about a week due to the damage.
“It was a terrible feeling seeing our school destroyed,” said Josephine A. Abarro, the Santa Rita High School principal. “Our books, chairs, tables, computers and cabinets were damaged by the water, and the only thing that was really left was the building and some of the students’ desks.”
The community members saw that not only was the Philippine government concerned for its community and country, but its American guests as well, according to Abarro.
“It is a good and safe feeling seeing the Filipino soldiers and U.S. Marines work together maintaining a good relationship with each other,” said Abarro.
The devastation left many community members without a home and clean water.
“Since the students reside close to the school, many of their homes were also destroyed by the flood and that’s why very few community members were able to help because they have their homes to take care of,” said Abarro.
While donations were appreciated, the actions of the group were worth more than money, according to Abarro.
“Money donations would not compare to the care that was demonstrated when we saw Filipinos and Americans working together helping our school,” said Abarro. “The first thing we will tell our students is that (Filipinos and) Americans helped clean our school, so that (the students) can continue to grow to become educated civilians of the world.”
For some service members, this event marked the first time they worked side-by-side with another nation’s military to help a community in need.
“While this is my second time in the Philippines, this was the first time in my career doing any volunteer work with anyone beside Marines,” said Cpl. Ericka M. Schork, an administrative specialist with 3rd MEB. “I took a lot of pride in helping out. There was a lot of mud, and we had only a few supplies and a little time to do this.
“I grabbed handfuls of mud trying to clean the school faster because that’s what I would do if it was my community,” she added.
The disaster recovery accounted for more than just cleaning up mud and debris; it provided an additional venue for service members to get involved with the community.
“I enjoy helping out the community doing humanitarian work and felt (like) it fostered a lot of camaraderie,” said Schork. “While getting to know each other together, we accomplished what we set out to do and helped reopen the school so that the children could resume their education.”