Troops from the United States military who are in the country for a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) preparedness mission performed first aid treatment to five Filipinos involved in a vehicular accident in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan on Tuesday, August 9.
A US military contingent to the Pacific Partnership 2022 (PP22) led by Lt. Cdr. Krystal Chunaco, of the United States Navy, were on their way to a hotel in Puerto Princesa City when they witnessed a vehicular accident in Barangay Rafael, according to Western Command (WesCom) spokesperson Major Cherryl Tindog.
Chunaco, who happens to be the US Medical Planner for the PP22, and her team did not hesitate to lend a helping hand to the bloodied Filipinos as they gave them first aid treatment prior to the arrival of an ambulance, Tindog said.
Lt. Col. Generoso Lintag II, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Medical Planner for PP22, also arrived on the accident site with three US and Australian Defense Force (ADF) participants who have specialization in emergency medicine to help in the administration of first aid treatment.
Other details of the accident and the identities of the victims were not immediately clear.
Two ambulances from the City Health Office were eventually dispatched to the accident area around 10:45 a.m. to transport the victims to the hospital.
“At such a time as this, the Pacific Partnership 2022 contingent from both countries have displayed the beauty of collaboration and interoperability in extending the required humanitarian assistance and response when and where it is needed,” Tindog said.
Now on its 17th year, the PP22 is being hosted by the Philippines from August 3 to 17.
PP22 is deemed as the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific region.
Representatives from the Philippines, United States, Australia, Republic of Korea, and United Kingdom were working together on a range of activities and projects specifically related to humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and medical exchanges.