Nolcom sends military engineers to Cagayan

TARLAC CITY -Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) deployed Thursday military engineers to help residents of Cagayan and Isabela, areas severely battered by typhoon Ulysses.

They will be under Joint Task Force Tala, NOLCOM’s operating arm in Region 2, together with regular and reserve forces working in coordination with Office of Civil Defense and Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices.

NOLCOM Commander Major General Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr said this is in accordance with President Rodrigo Duterte's directive to utilize all available assets to hasten the recovery efforts in Cagayan Val l ey.

"This is a calculated and proactive move in preparation for the next logical step in post-disaster operations, which is something they have learned in the AFP’s long history of being first responders in times of calamities,” he shared.

There are three engineer construction battalions strategically deployed across Northern and Central Luzon.

"This crisis showed our nation and the international community that the AFP’s state of the art equipment acquired through the modernization program are not only tools for war but, more importantly, they are tools to save Filipino lives and tools that give hope amidst the uncertainties of calamities," Burgosemphasized.

Moreover, he guaranteed AFP's solid dedication in responding to the needs of the Filipinos.

"Your military will stay true and faithful to our most solemn oath of putting primacy to the welfare and safety of our people at all times in the face of adversities,” he assured. (PIA 3)