BUTUAN CITY – Amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the combined forces of the Army’s Third Special Forces Battalion (3rd SFBn) and 544th Engineers Battalion (544th EBn) conducted a community outreach program (COP) in far-flung Simuwao area (Kilometer 9), Barangay Diatagon, Lianga, Surigao del Sur on Thursday.
Civil Military Operations (CMO) Officer First Lt. Krisjuper Andreo J. Punsalan of the 3rd SFBn told The Manila Bulletin on Friday that the 544th EBn deployed skilled personnel, dump trucks, backhoe, and bulldozers during the COP to the highland communities.
“Our government is really concerned of the needs of our far-flung communities, especially our native farmers,” the 3rd SFBn CMO officer said.
The 544th EBn and 3rd SFBn helped each other in responding to the needs of the far-flung communities despite the threat of COVID-19 crisis, according to Punsalan.
Aside from skilled personnel and equipments, the 544th and 3rd SFBn also assisted the Municipal Health Office (MHO) during the “Serbisyo Caravan”, also in relation to COP in the Simuwao area on Thursday, he said.
He said 300 families benefited from the activity.
The government provided free services such as blood pressure check up, medical and dental services, distribution of vitamins and medicines for the adult and children and free haircut.
“Our services to our brothers and sisters in far-flung communities will continue without let up despite this health crisis,” Punsalan added.