Subic bay news vol 12 no 04 15.00Php

AA Japan, Filanka Subic Corporation in Exclusive Partnershipsee Subic Job Fair, page 01

Subic job fair: 186 applicants

hired on-the-spot

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — A total of 186 applicants were hired on the spot during the Build, Build, Build= Jobs, Jobs, Jobs Caravan held here on Saturday, February 9, to help provide alternative employ-ment to workers who were laid off re-cently at the Hanjin shipyard. The Build, Build, Build team of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Trans-portation (DOTr,) and the Bases Conver-sion and Development Authority (BCDA) organized the job fair in partnership with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and other agencies. Around 25,000 jobs were opened to displaced Hanjin workers, as well as walk-in applicants, by 103 participating firms, mostly locators in the Subic Bay Freeport and contractors of government projects. SBMA Chairman and Adminis-trator Wilma T. Eisma thanked the orga-nizers and participating firms during the fair and cited the collaboration between public and private sectors in maintaining a strong workforce to sustain the eco-nomic growth of the Central Luzon re-gion. “We acknowledge the efforts of the government through the BBB Team to come up with an immediate program to address the plight of displaced Hanjin workers,” Eisma said. “This is only the second Jobs, Jobs, Jobs caravan of President Duterte, and Subic was chosen to be the venue. With all your support, industries here in the Subic Bay Freeport will continue to flourish,” Eisma added. Villar said President Duterte or-dered the conduct of a jobs caravan upon hearing about the problem facing Hanjin workers. “Ang pangarap n’ya sa Pilipinas ay lahat po ng ating kababayan ay mag-kakaroon ng trabaho, kaya po may Build Build Build program tayo,” he added. The inter-agency project was held with the cooperation of the DOLE,

(Left) Build, Build, Build=-Jobs, Jobs, Jobs Caravan organizers and guests do a “Duterte fist” during the jobs fair held at the SBMA Gym, from left: Trade Un-dersecretary Rowel Barba, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, Senator Richard Gordon, SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma Eisma, Public Works Secre-tary Mark Villar, and Zam-bales 1st District Rep. Jef-frey Khonghun.

(Upper Photo) Job appli-cants submit requirements to recruiters from various companies that partici-pated in the Build, Build, Build=Jobs, Jobs, Jobs Car-avan held in the Subic Bay Freeport on February 9.

AA Japan, one of the biggest and top suppliers of used Japanese trucks and vehicles around the world, is further es-tablishing its presence in the Philippines by exclusively partnering with local au-tomotive trader and dealer Filanka Subic Corporation (Filanka), as part of its busi-ness expansion and full service offering in the country.

Strengthens used Japanese Automotive Trade Industry in the Philippines

With this partnership, Japan-based AA Japan hopes to address the country’s continuous development in the field of infrastructure, agriculture and energy, as they demand high-quality, heavy-duty trucking and transportation, and heavy equipment services. Hameed Ramzan, AA Japan president and CEO, believes in this partnership. “We

believe in Filanka’s proven track record in this industry. That is why we decided to pursue our plans in partnering with them, as this will allow us to adapt our services and products to a broadcustomer base and develop multiple service offerings,” Ramzan said. Filanka and AA Japan hope to continue dominating the market with the compa-nies’ wide array of assets and services, in-cluding steering wheel conversion, recon-ditioning, repair, leasing, documentation and sales, and 150 units of in-demand, high quality trucks and heavy equipment. This development is also deemed to boost the economic growth in Subic. “We aim to boost our network here, which may, in turn, strengthen the industry in this part of the country, as well as provide livelihood opportunities to nearby com-munities,” explained Ramzan. “Every year, we deal with more

than 10, 000 customers throughout the world and our reputation of quality has never faltered. We strive, and we will al-ways strive, to offer our customers quali-ty vehicles at a low price, and to provide them with the best customer services,” he added. Since 1996, AA Japan has become a source of quality vehicles, equipment, and machineries among contractors and procurers around the world. Over the years, the company has developed a global network of branches and exclusive partners, allowing for car sales throughout the world. It helps individual customers to choose the best car in stock and assist them in all procedures. It also gives car dealers the opportunity to buy directly through a Japanese auction using its on-line solution, which includes all export and shipment procedures.

AA Japan, one of the top suppliers of used heavy machinery around the world, officially inaugurated its facility in the Subic Bay Freeport, exclusively partnering with local au-tomotive trader and dealer Filanka Subic Corporation (Filanka). Gracing the event were (above photo) officials of AA Japan, headed by its Pres-ident and CEO Hameed Ramzan (second from left) and COO Kogawa Teruyuki (fourth from left), together with Abdul Aseez, General Manager of Filanka Subic Corporation (second from right); Julius Escalona, SBMA Director (leftmost), and Gloria Ronquillo, Vice Mayor of Sto. Tomas Pampanga (center). Also in the photo are Mayumi Tomori, sales executive of AA Japan (fourth from right) and J.G. Estela Ishihara, events and marketing coordinator of AA Japan (right-most). Photo and text by Aletha D. Candeliza, Angel Pamintuan and Iya G. Oliva

AA Japan and Filanka Subic Corp. officials at the press con after the inauguration of the latter's facility in Subic. (Photo and text by Aletha D. Candeliza, Angel Pamintuan and Iya G. Oliva)

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No need to declare state of calamity amid

measles outbreak

Department of Finance, Department of Budget and Management, Department of Trade and Industry, Na-tional Economic and Development Authority, and Clark Development Corporation. The jobs fair was also graced by Senator Richard Gordon, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, Transporta-tion Secretary Arthur Tugade, BCDA President Vince Di-zon, and Zambales First District Rep. Jeffrey Khonghun. The day-long jobs caravan held at the SBMA Gymnasium drew out 4,051 job applicants, said Rom-mel Aquino, manager of the SBMA Labor Department’s Manpower Services Division. These included 2,464 for-mer Hanjin shipyard workers who comprised 60.8% of the registered participants. Meanwhile, out of the 186 applicants hired on the spot (HOTS), 99 were former Hanjin workers. The HOTS were hired as welders, electricians, masons, fit-ters, engineers, drivers, painters, scaffolders, riggers, admin assistants, clerks, and sales and marketing staff, among others. Aquino added that applicants who lacked some requirements like trade test certificate and medical cer-tificate may be accepted upon submission of the need-ed documents. During the fair, Chairman Eisma also stressed that the SBMA has never failed to fulfil its mandate of generating employment and that it has done so by reg-ularly organizing job fairs every year. Despite the current financial difficulties hound-ing Hanjin, Eisma said she is still hopeful that Subic Free-port businesses and industries will continue to flourish, provide jobs to residents, and help in the economic growth of nearby communities. The Subic jobs caravan was the second leg of the Build, Build, Build=Jobs, Jobs, Jobs project. The first was held in Manila while the third and fourth will be in Cebu and Davao, respectively.

SUBIC JOB FAIR..............................from page 01

Job applicants submit requirements to recruiters from various companies that participated in the Build, Build, Build=Jobs, Jobs, Jobs Caravan held in the Subic Bay Freeport on February 9.

MANILA -- Senator Richard Gordon on Wednesday warned against declaring a state of calamity in the re-gions hit by the measles outbreak, as it could give some politicians access to calamity funds. "This is the election period, and excuse na naman yan (this is another excuse) to spend money...What is important is that we show that we're doing something to address the problem. What is important here is a notice to all to catch up with our immunization program," Gordon said. Gordon, who heads the Philippine Red Cross, said reported measles cases are still manageable and there is no justification to declare a state of calamity. "There's no need to create a national emergen-cy here. We're not in danger of a pandemic or an epi-demic right now. It's manageable, therefore what you need right now is a call to arms to make sure that ev-erybody is conscious of the need to immunize and that kids must be immunized," Gordon said. "We don't have the numbers to justify that. So let's not go slip-shod into something that we are not ready for, that doesn't call for it," he added. Meanwhile, Senator Sonny Angara called on the Department of Health to ensure the stable supply of measles vaccines, stressing this as "essential" in the fight against the infectious disease. "The DOH must ensure consistent and adequate supply of measles vaccines in anticipation of increased demand as many people rush to protect themselves and their children from the virus," Angara said. Angara also appealed to parents to have their children immunized against measles in any government health center, noting that the vaccines are adminis-tered for free. The DOH has recently confirmed measles out-breaks in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Western Visayas and Central Visayas. Data from the DOH-Epidemiology Bureau re-vealed that from Jan. 1 to Feb. 9 this year, a total of 4,302 measles cases have been reported, with 70 deaths. (PNA)

Senator Richard Gordon

Northeast monsoon brings cool weather to PH

MANILA — The northeast monsoon will continue to af-fect the country, bringing cool weather until the end of the month, the weather bureau said Monday. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the regions of Cagayan Valley, Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Davao, Caraga, and Metro Manila and the provinces of Aurora and Quezon would have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated light rains. Temperature in Metro Manila will range from 22 degrees to 33 degrees Celsius; Tuguegarao City, 20-33 degrees Celsius; Baguio City, 12-23 degrees Celsius; Tagaytay City, 18-29 degrees Celsius; Metro Cebu, 24-30 degrees Celsius; and Davao City, 23-32 degrees Cel-sius. (PNA)

BALITA SA WIKANG PINOY

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Clark Airport revenues up to record over P1-B

AROUND CENTRAL LUZON

CLARK FREEPORT ZONE, Pampanga — The gross revenues of the Clark In-ternational Airport Corporation (CIAC) reached an unprecedented PHP1.07 billion in 2018, an official of the govern-ment-run corporation said Tuesday. Jaime Alberto Melo, CIAC presi-dent, said this is the first time that CIAC was able to breach the PHP1-billion mark since the agency was created in 1995. “Numbers of airlines, flights, destinations and business activities in-creased ever since President Rodrigo Duterte called for greater utilization of Clark Airport. The marketability of Clark Airport and the civil aviation complex were keys to achieving this milestone," Melo said. Melo said revenues increased by 32 percent, or the equivalent of PHP257.43 million, from last year’s PHP814.115, while CIAC’s net income also posted an unprecedented growth of 80 percent or about PHP141.94 million. The revenue was derived from aeronautical and non-aeronautical oper-

ations at the Clark Airport that contrib-uted 53 percent and 43 percent, respec-tively. The CIAC chief said these re-cord-breaking figures are attributed to the Duterte administration’s full support, citing Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade - whose agency oversees the airport’s operation, and CIAC’s parent company, the Bases Conversion and De-velopment Authority (BCDA), headed by its president Vivencio Dizon. “The continuing success of Clark Airport reflects the CIAC’s pursuit of higher standards of service for Filipinos. The challenge is to still do better and serve better,” Tugade said. Clark Airport averages around 11,500 passengers daily and registers 246 international and 480 domestic flights every week. Last year, there were around 2.6 million travelers via Clark. The airport targets to register 4.5 million annual pas-sengers by 2022

DENR calls on public to protect Candaba wetlands

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regional office here on Monday called on the public to help protect and save wetlands, particu-larly the 32,000-hectare Candaba swamp in this province. Minerva Martinez, chief of con-servation and development at the DENR regional office, made the call due to the declining population and number of spe-cies of migratory birds seen in the area. She said the ecosystem at the Candaba swamp may have been affected by climate change and land conversion. Martinez said based on the Asian Water Bird’s census conducted by the DENR, last year's population of migra-tory birds was only 1,439 comprising 30 species. “This number was the lowest re-corded rate since 2009. The prolonged dry seasons may have affected the Cand-aba swamp, resulting in low food supply which also eventually affected the water birds that depend on this habitat for sus-

tenance,” she said. DENR records also showed a de-creasing number of species among mi-gratory birds. From 64 species recorded in 2016, the number declined to 42 in 2017, 30 in 2018 and 16 this year. Paquito Moreno, executive di-rector of DENR in Central Luzon, said this poses another challenge to the pro-tection and conservation efforts of the DENR. “Candaba swamp is an important wetland area in the country. It supports an average of 7,000 migratory birds ev-ery year coming from as far as Siberia, Japan, China and New Zealand to seek wintering refuge, feeding and breeding area from October to March,” he said. Moreno appealed to the local community and local government units (LGU) to help the DENR in the protection of migratory birds and their habitat. “Candaba swamp is not only an important habitat and potential eco-tourism area that draws attention of local and foreign tourists and bird watch-ers from across the globe, it also acts as a natural sewerage treatment plant (STP), as it filters toxic chemicals coming from the upstream water of the Pampanga River before it drains to Manila Bay,” he said. Other important wetland sites in Central Luzon identified by the DENR for protection are the Angat Dam in Bula-can; Nabao Lake, Pantabangan Dam and Paitan Lake in Nueva Ecija; Puerto Rivas in Bataan; Uacon Lake, Malimanga Lake, Alindayat Lake, Mount Pinatubo Crater Lake, Mapanupe Lake, Gogo Lake, and Look Lake in Zambales; and Canarem Lake, and Ladiaonan Lake in Tarlac. (PNA)

PNR Clark Phase 1 sinimulan na

Pinangunahan ni Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade (pangalawa mula kaliwa) ang pagbabaon ng panandang bato para sa pagsisimula ng Philippine National Railways Clark Phase 1 mula Tutuban sa Maynila hanggang sa lungsod ng Malolos. Katuwang niya sina Japan International Cooperation Agency Representative Yoshio Wada (kaliwa), Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda (pangalawa mula kanan) at Bula-can Governor Wilhelmino Sy Alvarado (kanan). (Shane F. Velasco)

LUNGSOD NG MALOLOS -- Sinimulan nang ibaon ang kauna-unahang poste para sa is-traktura ng magiging riles ng tren ng Philip-pine National Railways o PNR Clark Phase 1 mula Tutuban sa Maynila hanggang sa lung-sod ng Malolos. Mismong si Transportation Secre-tary Arthur Tugade ang nagpaandar ng con-crete pile equipment na hudyat ng tuluy-tu-loy nang paghuhukay para sa mga poste ng istrakturang lalatagan ng 38 km riles ng tren. Itinatayo na ngayon ito sa orihinal na ruta ng dating riles ng PNR. Ipinaliwanag ng kalihim na ang Phase 1 ay binubuo ng apat na contract packages. Unang package dito ang bahagi ng mula sa Tutuban, Maynila hanggang Bocaue; pangalawang package ang mula Bocaue hanggang sa Malolos; pangatlong package ang pag-assemble sa Japan ng mga bagol ng tren; at ang pang-apat na package ay ang electro-mechanical na siyang magkakaroon ng malaking papel sa magiging operasyon nito. Ayon kay Transportation Undersecre-tary for Railways Timothy John Batan, may ka-buuang halaga ang proyekto na P149 bilyon. Sa loob ng nasabing halaga, P93 bilyon ang sinagot ng Official Development Assistance ng Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) habang ang P56 bilyon ay magmumula sa taunang pambansang badyet ng pamaha-laan ng Pilipinas. Umabot na sa 91 porsyento o halos tapos nang linisin ang right-of-way para sa ru-

tang dadaanan ng proyekto. Ibinalita pa ni Batan na nito lamang Enero 21, ipinagkaloob ng kagawaran sa Sumitomo Mitsui Corporation Co. Ltd ang kontrata para sa Package 2 ng proyekto. Ibig sabihin, unang isasailalim sa konstruksyon ang bahagi ng Malolos hang-gang Bocaue na susundan naman mula Bo-caue hanggang sa Tutuban. Sa ginanap na Sake Barrel cere-mony o Kagami Biraki na isang tradisyunal na Hapon ng pag-inom ng alak kapag may pagdiriwang, tiniyak ng mga kinatawan ng Sumitomo Mitsui Corporation Co. Ltd., na kanilang susundin ang utos ni Tugade na matapos ang proyekto sa taong 2021. Kapag natapos ang proyekto, makakabiyahe nang sabay ang mga tren na mula Malolos hanggang Tutuban at pabalik dahil salubungang riles ang gagawin. Bawat isang train set ay may walong dugtong na bagol o rolling stock na kayang magbiyahe ng 300 libong pasahero araw-araw. Ikinagalak naman ni Japanese Am-bassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda na ang PNR North Clark Phase 1 ay simbulo ng Golden Age of Strategic Partnership sa pag-itan ng Pilipinas at ng Japan. Bukod dito, ang Japan din ang mag-popondo sa iba pang proyekto gaya ng re-habilitasyon ng Metro Rail Transit 3, Metro Manila Subway, at Phase 2 ng PNR Clark mula Malolos hanggang Clark Internation-al Airport kung saan katuwang naman ang Asian Development Bank. PIA

Procurement para sa National ID, sisimulan sa Pebrero

LUNGSOD NG SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga -- Inanunsyo ng Philippine Statistics Authority o PSA na sisimulan na ngayong buwan ang proseso ng procurement para sa Philippine Identification System o PhilSys, bago ang mal-awakang pagrerehistro sa Setyembre. Ayon kay PSA Regional Director Ed-gardo Pare, target ng ahensyang makapagre-histro ng anim na milyong Pilipino sa huling tatlong buwan ng taong ito. Sa susunod na taon, aniya, target ng PSA na makapagrehistro ng 25-31 milyon at sisimulan na rin ang pagrerehistro sa mga Overseas Filipino Workers, imigrante at dual citizens. Dagdag pa ng direktor, may kabuuang P30 bilyon pondo para sa nasabing proyekto na nakatakdang ipatupad hanggang 2023. Libre ang pagpaparehistro para sa national ID ngunit kinakailangang magdala ng patunay ng pagkakakilanlan o valid ID sa pag-paparehistro. May natatanging serial code ang

national ID depende sa petsa at lugar ng kapanganakan at tirahan ng magrerehistro. Bukod dito, mayroon ding sequential code para sa mga magkakapangalan. Ayon kay Pare, maaaring i-validate ang ID kahit hindi ito dala ng may-ari basta kailangang kabisado niya ang code. Binanggit din niya ang posibilidad ng pakikipag-partner sa mga lokal na pama-halaan kung saan maaari silang magtayo ng mga registration center na patatakbuhin ng hindi bababa sa limang tao at may eye scan-ner, printer, biometrics, kamera at mabilis na koneksyon ng internet. Sa ilalim ng batas, ang Philippine lD ay maglalaman ng biometric na impor-masyon, kasama ang pitong demograpikong datos tulad ng buong pangalan, kasarian, petsa ng kapanganakan, lugar ng kapanga-nakan, uri ng dugo, tirahan, nasyonalidad, at tatlong opsiyonal na impormasyon parti-kular na ang marital status, numero ng tele-pono, at email address. ( PIA 3)

Inanunsyo ni Philippine Statistics Authority Regional Director Edgardo Pare (unang han-ay, pangalawa sa kaliwa) na sisimulan na sa Pebrero ang proseso ng procurement para sa Philippine Identification System, bago ang malawakang pagrerehistro sa Setyembre. (PIA 3)

SSS eyes stretching fund life to 2040

Social Security System President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel Dooc told reporters in Balanga City that he eyes to extend the corporation’s fund life to 2040 from the current projection of 2032. (Mar Jay S. Delas Alas/PIA 3)

BALANGA CITY -- Social Security System (SSS) seeks to extend its fund life up to 2040. Speaking to reporters in Balanga City, SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel Dooc said the recent additional P1,000 pension increase af-fected the fund life of SSS. “As of now, our fund life can only last up to 13 years or up to 2032 and we really want to strengthen SSS so we could project a longer fund life,” the top official said. “If we will provide another in-crease or additional benefit without any source aside from our reserved funds,

our current fund life will decrease and we will be at precarious condition,” he stressed. Dooc furthered that once the Social Security Act of 2018 is signed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte, they can recover and provide more services to their members. “We could achieve this extension of fund life if the proposed bill that seeks to increase the contributions of our members will be signed into law plus if we could improve our earnings through investments and competitions,” Dooc added. (PIA 3)

IN THE NAVY

U.S., Philippines Unveil New Coast Guard Maritime Training Facility

JIATF-W Deputy Director Earl Hampton, DCM Law, Admiral Hermogino, and Commo-dore Jose William U. Isaga unveil the barracks at the new Balagtas maritime training facility.

Bulacan – The United States and the Philippines jointly unveiled the Out-board Motor Center of Excellence, a new maritime training facility, in Balagtas, Bu-lacan on February 11. The U.S. govern-ment funded the Php 39 million facility, which will enhance the Philippine Coast Guard’s capacity to train its workforce and sustain its equipment. The new fa-cility consists of a classroom, a barracks, and an outboard motor maintenance lab. U.S. Embassy in the Philippines Deputy Chief of Mission John C. Law, Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Admiral Elson E. Hermogi-no, and Deputy Director of the Joint In-teragency Task Force-West (JIATF-W) Earl Hampton, and Commodore Jose William U. Isaga, Commander of PCG Weapons, Communications, Electronics and Infor-mation System Service, participated in ribbon cuttings for the new facility’s bar-racks and outboard motor classroom. In his remarks, Law reflected on the collective U.S.-Philippine commit-ment to long-term success in maritime security.

“Five years ago, the Philippines embarked on a plan that would en-able the rapid and effective expan-sion of the Philippine Coast Guard to meet your country’s needs, and the maritime challenges that you face, from promoting safety and security,

protecting environmental and eco-nomic interests, [and] preventing the illicit flow of drugs and people,” said Law. “And in those five years, you’ve made extraordinary strides to establish and implement a strat-egy where the PCG can support its technical training requirements for maintaining the materiel readiness and operational safety of its fleet.”

Admiral Elson E. Hermogino, Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard, commented on the strategic ben-efits to maritime security that this facility provides.

“This project is a milestone in our effort to enhance PCG oper-ations. It is one of the important missions in addressing the training requirements of the organization,” said Hermogino. “This endeavor has provided the foundation [for future training] while improving our per-sonnel learning culture.”

Funded by the JIATF-W, the Out-board Motor Center of Excellence is a joint project between the PCG, U.S. Coast Guard, the JIATF-W, the Joint U.S. Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG), and the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforce-ment Affairs. The facility was built un-der a local contract managed by the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command. (USEmbassy/Manila)

DCM John C. Law receives a plaque of appreciation from Philippine Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Elson E. Hermogino at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Outboard Motor Center of Excellence

USS Porter Departs Plymouth, England

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James R. Turner, Navy Public Affairs Support Element Det. Europe

PLYMOUTH, England (NNS) -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) departed Feb. 11 Plym-outh, England following a port visit. The port visit serves to demon-strate the U.S. Navy's continued commit-ment to strengthening strategic partner-ships in the European and African region. "This was a working port for the Sailors aboard Porter,” said Cmdr. Craig Trent, commanding officer of Porter. “Our English allies gave our ship and crew the ability to shelter in place as storms passed in order to continue to train and maintain mission readiness.” While in port, the ship earned cer-tifications from three embarked Sailors from Afloat Training Group Norfolk. Over-all, the ship conducted 15 damage control drills ensuring the ship’s responses are ef-ficient to a wide range of scenarios. "The crew has been extremely busy while in England," said Lt. Andrea Olachia, damage control assistant aboard the ship. "We conducted drills nearly ev-ery day while in port, from individual locker drills to flying squad, and topped it off with three general quarters drills. We

demonstrated our crew's ability to combat a variety of casualties that the ship could encounter. Damage control training is in-valuable and it's important for all Sailors to possess the skill sets necessary to put out a fire, stop a flood or even operate after a chemical, biological, radiological attack. We all hope that we never have to do more than drill for these types of scenarios, but if the time ever comes, I am confident the crew will be prepared to fight and ulti-mately save our ship." Porter is working with allies and regional partners to help develop and im-prove maritime forces, maintain regional security, and work toward mutual goals in order to advance security and stability in Europe. Porter, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, is conducting a routine patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in sup-port of U.S. national security interests in Europe. The ship departed from Naval Sta-tion Rota, Spain, Dec. 27, 2018. U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests, and security and stability in Europe and Af-rica.

PLYMOUTH, England. Ship's Serviceman 1st Class Giancarlo Richardson, left, and Boat-swain's Mate 2nd Class Juan Reyesmunoz use M9 detection paper during a chemical, biological and radiological drill aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) in Plymouth, England, Feb. 8, 2019. Porter, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, is on its sixth patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S national security interests in Europe and Africa. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communica-tion Specialist 2nd Class James R. Turner)

PLYMOUTH, England. Cmdr. Craig Trent, left, commanding officer of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78), observes from the bridge as the ship departs Plymouth, England, Feb. 11, 2019. Porter, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, is on its sixth patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S national security interests in Europe and Africa. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James R. Turner)

PLYMOUTH, England . Damage Controlman 2nd Class Stephanie Buttrick, right uses a toxic-gas detector with Electrician's Mate 2nd Class Ethan Silva aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) during a drill in Plymouth, England, Feb. 9, 2019. Porter, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, is on its sixth patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S national security interests in Europe and Africa. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James R. Turner)