The ongoing partnership and cooperation between the Philippines and the United States was highlighted during a community health engagement at Davila Elementary School in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte on April 19, 2024. U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Gabriel Ramos, a dental technician with the Combined Joint Civil-Military Operations Task Force, led the event which aimed to teach oral hygiene to children in the area.
Through this three-day engagement, Philippine and U.S. service members provided medical and dental evaluations to residents of Ilocos Norte, increasing healthcare access and awareness in the community. The exercise is an annual training exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. military designed to strengthen bilateral interoperability, capabilities, trust, and cooperation based on decades of shared experiences.
The photo taken on April 19, 2024 shows Petty Officer Ramos demonstrating oral hygiene to children as part of an effort to improve healthcare access and raise awareness of oral health practices among the residents of Ilocos Norte. This community health engagement is just one example of how both military forces work together to support local communities and promote health and education initiatives through events like Balikatan 24.
Overall, this event at Davila Elementary School showcases the ongoing partnership and cooperation between the two nations through military exercises like Balikatan 24. By engaging with local communities and providing essential services like medical and dental evaluations, the military forces contribute to the overall well-being and health of the residents in the region.
In conclusion, Exercise Balikatan 24 is a significant milestone in strengthening bilateral interoperability between Philippines and US Military Forces while promoting health education initiatives among local communities through community health engagements like Davila Elementary School event on April 19th , 2024 .
