Balikatan 2019: AFP, U.S. Army begin construction project at Pagasa Elementary
(From left to right) The Honorable Efren Pascual Jr., municipal mayor of Orani, Bataan, Armed Forces of the Philippines Army Lt. Col. Francesca Dapiton, Office of the Chief Engineer, and U.S. Army Lt. Col. Michael Tucker, Combined Joint Civil Military Operations Task Force commander, break ground during the Engineering Civic Action Project (ENCAP) 4 opening ceremony as part of Exercise Balikatan, March 12, 2019. U.S. Army 1st Lt. Brendon Cagney, ENCAP 4 officer in charge, looks on. During the exercise planning process, military planners visited various locations in coordination with AFP and local officials to nominate sites. Numerous factors were taken into account, including logistics requirements, unit capabilities, and exercise requirements. Pagasa Elementary School was selected as one of the Balikatan construction projects following this selection process. Exercise Balikatan, in its 35th iteration, is an annual U.S.-Philippine military training exercise focused on a variety of missions, including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, counter-terrorism, and other combined military operations. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Scott Vargas, 128th MPAD)