LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines – Civil engineers from the Philippine Air Force worked alongside their U.S. Air Force counterparts April 17 – May 14 to renovate Tamaoyan Elementary School classrooms in Legazpi City, Albay Province, Philippines.
The engineering civic assistance program is part of Exercise Balikatan 2014, an annual bilateral training exercise and humanitarian assistance engagement between members of the Philippine and U.S. armed forces, focusing on improving interoperability and strengthening the partnership of the two allied countries.
Being able to work together has been key to making the project successful and efficient, according to U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Luke D. Zimmerman.
“We are making the school function more safely and comfortably,” said Zimmerman, a civil engineer with 374th Civil Engineer from Yokota, Japan. “Our teamwork is making this project run really smooth and fast.”
The ENCAP site provided each nation’s troops the opportunity to learn and share the unique ways each unit works to best complete the joint construction.
“(Nothing will) stop us from continuing our work,” said U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Kory Carpenter, the ENCAP officer in charge. “Because of the ingenuity of the Filipinos working with us, we see things done in different ways than we might have considered that help us accomplish what we set out to do.”
The elementary school renovations are part of the humanitarian civic assistance programs taking place in the Albay Province, which also includes construction at two other schools, a public restroom, and a health center.
“It’s a privilege to be a part of this rewarding experience,” said Carpenter. “Every day I work here, I walk away knowing we accomplished something important.”