The Philippine Army (PA) and the Royal Thai Army (RTA) conducted a two-day humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) training to boost interoperability and disaster readiness, the PA said Monday.
The exercise took place on Sept. 11 and 12 at the Forerunner Training Area, Libingan ng mga Bayani, Fort Bonifacio. Participating were the PA’s 525th Combat Engineer Battalion (525CEBn), its premier rescue unit, and an engineering team from the RTA.
PA spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said the joint activity focused on collapsed structure search and rescue, rope rescue, and patient handling and medical response. Both armies also shared best practices and demonstrated life-saving techniques to strengthen coordination in disaster operations.
“The 525CEBn also staged a full capability demonstration of its search-and-rescue assets, giving the RTA team a firsthand look at its world-class response skills,” Dema-ala said.
He added that the training reaffirms strong bilateral ties between the two armies and supports the PA’s push for the holistic training of its soldiers.