Warship arrives to fetch US troops

The American warship USS Fort McHenry dropped anchor at dawn yesterday off Basilan to fetch US troops who participated in Balikatan 02-1, a six-month counter-terrorism exercise with Filipino soldiers using Islamist rebels as live targets.

Ma. Richard Sater, spokesman for the US Joint Task Force 510, said the vessel will specifically transport the US Naval Construction Task Group, which implemented a number of infrastructure projects in the island, back to its homebase in Okinawa, Japan.

"Loading of the equipment is expected to take several days. A landing craft unit or LCU will be used to ferry the equipment," Sater said.

The equipment included bulldozers, graders and compactors.

A 340-strong contingent of Navy Seabees and US Marine engineers carried out the social outreach component of the war games, involving construction and rehabilitation of roads, bridges, irrigation systems and deep well pumps and a runway in Basilan.

The Marine engineers belonging to the 9th Engineering Support Battalion, and the Seabees were part of the Naval Mobile Construction Battalion One.

A unit from the 3rd Marine Regiment based in Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii was tasked to provide security to the engineering battalion.

Among the projects completed by the American troops with the assistance of Philippine Army engineers and local workers were the Basilan Menzi Airfield, some access roads, portions of the Basilan circumferential highway, bridges, power-driven water pumps, mosques and ports.

"The construction projects have been completed and the task group is heading home," Sater said.

Meanwhile, a Basilan congressman batted for sustained US financial support to maintain the projects completed by the American troops.

Basilan Rep. Abdulgani "Jerry" Salapuddin specifically cited the 200-kilometer circumferential road connecting the island’s six towns and one city which is allegedly vulnerable to continuous rains.

Salapuddin said during his term as governor of Basilan, then President Fidel Ramos allocated P75 million for the rehabilitation of the circumferential road.

The US military engineers repaired damaged portions of the highway, making them passable again for vehicular traffic.

Salapuddin sought concreting of the highway to make it more durable and resistant to the elements. – With AFP