By Construction Electrician 3rd Class (SCW) Quennie May Galarpe Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5 Public Affairs
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Philippines – Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5’s Civic Construction Action Detail (CCAD) Palawan celebrated the completion of construction of a multipurpose assembly hall extension and a rainwater catchment system at Mangingisda Elementary School, June 17.
During the turnover ceremony more than 500 people attended including parents, teachers, students, members of the community local government officials and members of the U.S. and Philippine armed forces.
"We are truly grateful and blessed because our school was one of the chosen few to receive this blessing of love from the United States Navy Seabees and the armed forces of the Philippines," said Mercedes Magbanua, the school principal of Mangingisda Elementary School. “The multipurpose hall can already accommodate a large number of participants.”
The multipurpose assembly hall is used not only for the students and staff of the school, but also the surrounding community as well. The construction of the extension will reduce the labor that the community and school staff has to perform in order to install temporary structures when they have large events.
“In fact, this hall has been used annually for medical missions and activities alike,” said Magbanua.
According to Liezl Arosio, a 5th grade teacher, the construction of the multipurpose hall extension is definitely a great blessing to the students and teachers of the school.
The presence of the U.S. and Philippine military in the school grounds greatly impacted the morale of the students.
“As the project is about to be finish, it will never be the same, the atmosphere will totally change," added Arosio.
"We may be saddened by the fact that you guys are leaving, but the great work that you left with us will always be cherished and will be taken care of. We promise that it will benefit the population of Barangay Mangingisda for generations," said Arosio.
Federico Q. Lucena Jr., one of the school’s teachers, said in his opening remarks that the covered hall will help a lot during programs, activities and other occasions.
“It has become more comfortable and will be able to accommodate more people."
Additionally, the fear of the rain and the sun is not a thing to worry about anymore," said Lucena.
The construction of the rainwater catchment system consisted of re-routing and installing new gutter systems, installing two 1,200 liter tanks, manufacturing stands to hold the tanks and create a plumbing system to dispense the water. The system will supply water for cleaning the classrooms and watering the plants in the garden at the school. The installation of the water catchment system reduces the time the students and staff take to get water for these purposes. Before the installation of the water catchment system they would walk half a kilometer to carry five gallon buckets full of water back.
Philippine Seabees, Philippine air force, Philippine marines and NMCB 5 Seabees were awarded with certificates of recognition for their work by the Department of Education. A plaque was presented in recognition of gratitude to Naval Mobile Construction 5 Seabees.
The CCAD's mission is to execute engineering civic assistance projects, conduct skills exchanges with the host nation, and perform community relations events to help enhance shared capabilities and maintain relationships.
NMCB 5 is homeported in Port Hueneme, California, and is currently deployed to Okinawa, Japan, supporting Navy and joint forces throughout the U.S. Pacific Command with construction projects and humanitarian missions in more than 13 different geographical locations.