BRP Ramon Alcaraz to help in relief distribution

MANILA, Philippines - The BRP Ramon Alcaraz, the second warship acquired from the US, will be commissioned at South Harbor in Manila at 10 a.m. today.

It will be sent immediately to Tacloban City to help in the relief efforts for victims of Typhoon Yolanda.

President Aquino is not expected to attend the event, but Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin will be the guest of honor.

Witnessing the ceremony are the family of Ramon Alcaraz, the war hero after whom the ship was named.

Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Fabic said immediately after the ceremonies, the Alcaraz will embark on its first mission: humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations for the victims of Yolanda in Eastern Visayas.

“BRP Alcaraz will also be ferrying Navy personnel that will be utilized for various relief operations, which will include, but not be limited to, clearing operations, medical missions, relief goods distribution, repair and rehabilitation and security augmentation,” he said.

The ship will transport relief items from different government agencies and non-government organizations.

The vessel was named after Commodore Ramon Alcaraz, a Navy officer who commanded a patrol boat that shot down three Japanese aircraft during World War II.

The US Coast Guard used the vessel for drug and migrant interdiction, law enforcement, search and rescue, living marine resources protection, and defense readiness.

The government allotted more than P600 million to acquire the Alcaraz.

The two-decade-old vessel was acquired under the US defense excess article program.