3rd Marine Division Commander visits the Southern Philippines

ZAMBOANGA, Republic of the Philippines (April 16, 2011) – Commanding General, 3rd Marine Division, Maj. Gen. Mark A. Brilakis, center, meets with senior members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines during an office call with Western Mindanao Command at Camp Navarro.  (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Demetrius Munnerlyn)

ZAMBOANGA, Republic of the Philippines (April 16, 2011) – Commanding General, 3rd Marine Division, Maj. Gen. Mark A. Brilakis, left, meets with U.S. Marines assigned to Joint Special Operations Task Force - Philippines while visiting Camp Navarro.  (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Demetrius Munnerlyn)

JSOTFP service members visit local orphanage

Joint Special Operations Task Force – Philippines Public Affairs Office

ZAMOANGA CITY, Republic of the Philippines – On April 5, eleven service members from Joint Special Operations Task Force- Philippines, visited the “Reception and Study Center for Children,” a center for displaced children in Zamboanga City.  They brought with them boxes of donated clothes, toiletries, and candy.

The Reception and Study Center for Children is home to 45 children ranging from infants to young teenagers.  The center is part of the Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development.

“Everyone around camp is always asking me when our next trip to the orphanage is, so I try to plan as many as I can,” explained Religious Program Specialist 2nd Class Andrew Price, the command chaplain assistant who helped coordinate the event.

In addition to the donations, members from JSOTF-P gave approximately P13,000 to the center.

“It’s good to see the kids,” said Master-at-Arms 3^rd Class Brendan Washock, who donated the money on behalf of the service members. “It puts a face to the mission we are doing down here” he added.

 “(JSOTF-P’s) visit here makes the children happy,” said Josefina Reyes, the head of the center. “They are delighted when people come and play with them.”

U.S. forces are temporarily deployed to the Philippines in a strictly non-combat role at the invitation of the Philippine government to advise and assist the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to fight terrorism and deliver humanitarian assistance to the people of the Philippines.

"We are improving the local community by helping the less fortunate. It also presents a good image of American service members,” Price added.

COMSOCPAC Visits the Southern Philippines

ZAMBOANGA, Republic of the Philippines (April 7, 2011) -  Commander, Special Operations Command Pacific, Rear Adm. Sean A. Pybus, right, meets with Armed Forces of the Philippines Lt. Gen Raymundo B. Ferrer, commander, Western Mindanao Command during an office call while visiting Camp Navarro. Official U.S. Navy photo by MC1 (SW) Ryan Valverde.

ZAMBOANGA, Republic of the Philippines (April 7, 2011) - Members of Joint Special Operations Task Force - Philippines brief Commander, Special Operations Command Pacific, Rear Adm. Sean A. Pybus during his visit to Camp Navarro.  Official U.S. Navy photo by MC1 (SW) Ryan Valverde.

PNP Bomb Squad Competition

QUEZON CITY, Republic of the Philippines, (March 24, 2011) – A member of the Philippine National Police returns to the command post during a bomb squad countermeasures competition held at Camp Crame. Nine Philippine explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams took part in the competition and were graded on response procedures, execution and safety during an improvised explosive device scenario. Two explosive ordnance technicians from Joint Special Operations Task Force – Philippines served as judges during the event. (Official U.S. Navy photo by MC1 (SW) Ryan Valverde.)

QUEZON CITY, Republic of the Philippines, (March 24, 2011) – A member of the Philippine National Police (PNP) removes a bomb suit from another PNP member after successfully demolishing a simulated explosive device during a bomb squad countermeasures competition held at Camp Crame. Nine Philippine explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams took part in the competition and were graded on response procedures, execution and safety during an improvised explosive device scenario. Two explosive ordnance technicians from Joint Special Operations Task Force – Philippines served as judges during the event. (Official U.S. Navy photo by MC1 (SW) Ryan Valverde.)

QUEZON CITY, Republic of the Philippines, (March 24, 2011) – A simulated explosive device is demolished during a bomb squad countermeasures competition held at Camp Crame. Nine Philippine explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams took part in the competition and were graded on response procedures, execution and safety during an improvised explosive device scenario. Two explosive ordnance technicians from Joint Special Operations Task Force – Philippines served as judges during the event. (Official U.S. Navy photo by MC1 (SW) Ryan Valverde.)

In the news ...

"The Philippine mission is a rarity in the U.S. war on terror: a largely successful counterinsurgency at minimal cost in lives and dollars.

...The number of Abu Sayyaf militants went from a peak of 1,200 in 2001 to about 400 today, according to the Philippine military.

Under an agreement with the Philippine government, the U.S. forces cannot engage in combat. However, with the help of U.S. intelligence, the Philippine military has killed or captured 28 Abu Sayyaf leaders, according to the Special Forces task force. Twenty-four remain at large.."

read the full story from USA Today: http://usat.ly/ihGz7W (rv)

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U.S. Ambassador Visits JSOTF-P in Southern Philippines

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Mindanao – Harry K. Thomas, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines, and several officials from the U.S. and Philippine governments visited Camp Navarro in Zamboanga City and islands in the Southern Philippines Mar. 21-22 to meet and greet service members.

The U.S. Embassy in Manila is taking a “3D” approach to combating terrorism, employing diplomacy, development, and defense, with the latter coordinated through Joint Special Operations Task Force, Philippines (JSOTF-P). U.S. forces are temporarily deployed to the Philippines in a strictly non-combat role to advise and assist the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to fight terrorism and deliver humanitarian assistance to the people of the Philippines.

During the visit, the Ambassador also attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony with AFP Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer and JSOTF-P Commander Capt. Robert Gusentine, USN, to open a Joint Fusion Cell at West Mindanao Command (WESMINCOM) headquarters.

The Joint Fusion Cell, a 600-square-foot refurbished space, will serve as an area for Philippine Security Forces to plan and implement future operations supported by JSOTF-P, to make the Southern Philippines an unwelcome place for violent extremist organizations to operate.

Later in the morning, the Ambassador addressed AFP and U.S. service members stationed at Camp Navarro.

“Today, we are celebrating a small example of how our two nations cooperate for the cause of peace,” said Thomas. “Without the assistance of JSOTF-P and its many dedicated members who support our friends in the Philippines Security Forces, I would not be able to do my job here in the South, so from the bottom of my heart, thank you,” he added.

United States Agency for International Development – Philippines Mission Director  Gloria Steele and several other senior government officials joined Thomas during the visit. “JSOTF-P not only represents the “Defense” pillar of the U.S. Embassy’s 3D approach, it also serves as USAID’s key partner in implementing our development programs in conflict areas and in providing disaster assistance,” said Steele.

While in Mindanao, Thomas visited with senior officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines at WESMINCOM. The Ambassador also had tours at the Ateneo de Zambaonga University, a local university, and at the Visayan Forum Halfway House that provides refuge and rehabilitation for victims of human trafficking. On the second day of the trip, the ambassador visited some of JSOTF-P’s outstations on the Islands of Sulu and Basilan to get a first hand look at JSOTF-P support for AFP operations.