FORT MAGSAYSAY, Philippines - U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 84th Engineer Battalion, 130th Engineer Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, working alongside their counterparts from the Philippine army 522 Engineer Construction Battalion, 51st Engineer Brigade undertook construction projects aimed at improving local quality of life and future military operations during Exercise Salaknib 25, March 28, 2025.
These construction projects take place across three different sites and include road improvements, bridge remediation, and the construction of a community health clinic.
“These projects drive us to exercise our ability to plan for and execute projects across the IDL,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Holly Hughes, a construction engineering technician assigned to the 8th TSC. “If we forget a tool or mess up on our materials calculations, we must figure out workarounds. Even if you plan everything down to the last nail, there are always conditions on the ground that you can’t predict.”
Engineers completed the road improvement of Route Maryland on March 18, 2025. The improvement of the road is in support of the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center – Exportable. The improvement of the road included installing a culvert to improve drainage, grading, and compacting.
“It was a really great surprise to be able to not only support Army forces objectives for the exercise, but also improve such an important access road in the local community,” said Hughes.
The drop zone bridge remediation project involves completing punch-list items identified during a final inspection of the bridge constructed last year during Salaknib/ Balikatan 2024. Engineers are also installing a retaining wall to address erosion concerns around the bridge's support pads and enhancing the road from the bridge to the drop zone.
“In my second year of participating in Salakanib and Balikatan, I am still impressed by the resiliency and ingenuity of our Philippine army partners,” said Maj. Nick Yager, the 84th Engineer Battalion executive officer.
“We rely on them to teach us how they do construction in the Philippines and this year we have opened the aperture to how our partners do equipment maintenance and how their supply chains work,” said Yager. “Without our Filipino partners we would truly feel like foreigners here, but through the relationships we have built, it feels like our team doubles in size when we get on the ground.”
Before, the drop zone road was only accessible by all-terrain vehicles or 4x4 vehicles. The road improvements will accommodate passenger cars and larger military vehicles, enabling safer access. The road stretches approximately 2,600 feet and supports Philippine army special forces training.
Engineers are also constructing a health clinic on the island of Palawan, in a rural area outside of Rizal. Providing a future area for medical access for the locals of the area. The Clinic is estimated to be able to reach up to 1000 individuals and families living in remote areas within Barangay Iraan.
“Our site is five miles into the jungle in a town with no water and no power tasked with constructing the town's only concrete building,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ellie Pedelty, a construction engineering technician assigned to the 84th Engineer Brigade. “We've had to adapt and push forward with hand tools and Soldier power.”
This project is being constructed to provide a future area for medical access for the locals of the area.
Salaknib 2025 is an annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. Military designed to strengthen bilateral interoperability, capabilities, trust, and cooperation built over decades of shared experiences.
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