CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/16 March) — More American troops arrived on board the USNS Seay, a roll-on/roll-off vehicle cargo ship of the United States Navy which docked at the Macabalan pier on 15 March .
Colonel Anselmo Ty, group commander of the 590th Air Base Group of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) located at the Lumbia Airbase in Barangay Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro City, said some 100 troops arrived to participate in the two-week humanitarian and disaster relief training with Philippine troops.
Lumbia Air Base was formerly the old civilian airport of Cagayan de Oro before it was converted into a Philippine Air Force base and later designated as an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) site for joint activities between Philippine and US forces. (The local commercial airport, meanwhile, was transferred to the municipality of Laguindingan in Misamis Oriental, some 40 kilometers away.)
Ty said the training started on March 8 and will end on March 28.
“Their presence in Cagayan de Oro is only temporary. They are here for the training in humanitarian and disaster response,” Ty said.
Ty said the training is well-coordinated with the local government and concerned government agencies.
American servicemen who began arriving at the Lumbia air base last week caused a stir among local residents who feared that their arrival had to do with the ongoing geopolitical tension in Iran and the Middle East.
Jade Adecer, Cagayan de Oro City information officer, reassured residents that the US troops will be confined inside the Lumbia air base except on occasions when they have to go out for training scenarios.
Adecer said representatives from the Air Force have been coordinating with the local government as early as the 1st week of March.
The arrival of US troops on board the USNS Seay supplements a busload of US servicemen that had earlier arrived in the city last week.
Maj. Gen. Michele Anayron, commanding general of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, was quick to say that the US soldiers’ arrival here “has nothing to do with the West Philippine Sea or the war in Iran.”
Anayron said the US servicemen are in the area to conduct training with Philippine troops on humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
Anayron said most of the training activities will be held at Lumbia Air Base, which under EDCA serves as a joint-use facility focused on humanitarian and disaster relief missions. (Froilan Gallardo/MindaNews)
