MANILA, Philippines – Members of the Hawaii National Guard and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) began its disaster response training in Virac, Catanduanes on Sunday, with the aim of bringing together international expertise and local leadership to strengthen disaster response capabilities in the region.
Officially called Pacific Partnership 2025, the mission comprised of a series of intensive training events with local emergency responders and civilian authorities, according to the US Embassy in Manila.
The training will focus on three core areas: urban search and rescue (USAR), Incident Command System (ICS) training, and a disaster management workshop, the Embassy stated.
These activities enhance technical skills, improve coordination frameworks, and support community-based resilience initiatives, which increase natural disaster preparedness in Virac and the greater Catanduanes province, the Embassy added.
“Pacific Partnership is about more than training; it’s about building lasting relationships that strengthen regional security and stability,” said Cmdr. Robert Reyes, the officer in charge for the Philippines mission stop.
“Each interaction brings us closer to achieving a shared goal of a safer, more resilient Indo-Pacific,” Reyes added.
The Embassy mentioned that the Hawaii National Guard’s and AFP’s USAR component will focus on lifesaving operations in challenging environments, which includes practical, hands-on training in collapsed structure rescue, shoring and stabilization techniques, confined space navigation, and rubble pile operations. The program concludes with a realistic disaster scenario to test coordination and execution of newly learned skills.
Meanwhile, the Embassy explained that the ICS and disaster management workshops of the training are modelled after the U.S. National Incident Management System, tailored to local conditions and needs.
“These sessions include command post simulations, interagency coordination exercises, and disaster response planning scenarios aimed at building a common operating framework between civilian and military organizations in the Philippines,” the Embassy said.
Now in its 21st iteration, which will run for two weeks, Pacific Partnership series is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster management preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific.
Pacific Partnership works collaboratively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase security and stability in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships in the Indo-Pacific, the US Embassy stated.
