Three US Navy ships in RP for “goodwill visit”

By Ronron
September 12, 2007

Three US Navy ships are in Philippine waters to pay “goodwill visit,” official said Wednesday.

The three ships were identified as USS Milius (DDG-69), which is based in San Diego, California; USS Chung-Hoon (DDG-93), based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; and USS Chosin (CG-65), also based in Pearl Harbor.

A US Embassy statement said USS Milius and USS Chung-Hoon arrived in Manila yesterday, while USS Chosin is set to arrive in Cebu today (Thursday). The three will be in the country until the 16th.

“These visits reflect the longstanding military, historical and personal ties between our two countries as well as our continued commitment to work together to assist people in need of humanitarian outreach,” the US embassy statement reads.

It said that during the visit, the commanding officers of the ships will turn over “a variety of items donated by the American people, including toys, library books, and medical supplies to the Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development for distribution to those less fortunate.”

Sailors from the vessels will also be participating in Gawad Kalinga projects of building homes for local citizens.

Lt. Col. Doug Smith, Public Affairs Officer of the US Joint Special Operations Task Force, said there are no military exercises during this visit, as it is purely a “routine port visit.”

But Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Public Information Officer (PIO), said there could be “goodwill games” with their Filipino counterparts, like the Passage Exercise wherein the foreign vessel will pass through with local Navy vessels as its escort.

He said the Philippine Naval Reserve Officers Training Course students will also be given the opportunity to have a guided tour inside the vessels, as well as some local schools in Metro Manila.

Bacarro said he cannot disclose the number of personnel aboard each ship for security reasons.

He assured there are no nuclear weapons aboard the ships when asked about it.

“The American people are committed to working with our friends and partners in the Philippines,” US Ambassador to Manila Kristie Kenney said in the same statement.

“These ships that are visiting the Philippines demonstrate the strength of our partnership, and I know that the dedicated men and women on board are looking forward to seeing this beautiful country,” she continued.

The US Embassy statement said the ships belong to the US 7th Fleet, but did not specify if they came from their respective bases prior to their arrival in the Philippines./DMS