Bato Bato, Jolo Island resident Nader Daud and his friends come to watch the progress U.S. Marines and Seabees, along with their counterparts from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), make every day on the main road that leads from the village to the island’s largest municipality, Jolo City.Daud and many of the local citizens travel the road to the city almost every day to sell crafts, buy food, and trade goods to support their families. But during three months out of the year, heavy rains cause erosion and ruts on the dirt road, making travel nearly impossible for vehicles.
On February 14, Joint Task Force Balikatan 2007 began an engineering civil assistance project, or ENCAP, to fix the road so it will be usable for local residents year-round. Helping out were U.S. Marines from Okinawa, Japan; U.S. Navy construction specialists from Port Hueneme, California (called “Seabees”); and AFP partners. Pictured above, a U.S. Sailor directs a large equipment specialist operating a front-end loader where to dump dirt to fill the new road.
The Bato Bato road construction is one of several projects being conducted throughout the island during the annual Balikatan exercise, which runs through early March. Other projects include school and clinic renovations, and free medical clinics that offer medical attention to local residents.
The annual exercise between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States is structured to further develop the two countries’ crisis action planning, enhance their ability to effectively conduct humanitarian assistance operations, and promote interoperability between participating countries.
“This is the only ENCAP the detachment is doing that will require attention every day we are here,” said Staff Sgt. Jami D. Larson, a Fayetteville, N.C. native. “The road is more than three miles long, and with vehicles coming through here every day, it’s impossible to shut this road down. Working here through the duration is the only way this road will be finished.”
Larson said many considerations came into play when they started the project. “We had to pretty much tear up the existing road,” he said. “There were no drainage ditches, the road (was flat) and it was loose.”
Before construction began, the road was only made up of dirt, but after its completion, it will be mixed with gravel. “The rocks we’re using are three inches long on average, and are much larger compared to what we’re used to working with,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Robert N. Rossell, the project supervisor. “Now we have to use dirt to fill the gaps in between the rocks to make sure everything is compacted so the road will stay together.”
During the project, Marines and Sailors are digging ditches on both sides of the road while ensuring the road has a run-off so that water will drain to avoid erosion and ruts. Heavy equipment brought into Jolo such as graders and a compactor are being used to even the road and create a smooth-riding trip to Jolo City.
A lot of progress has been made on the project, but it hasn’t been easy, Larson said. “It’s tough doing all of this in this hot weather, but the Marines and Seabees are really working together to get the job done,” he said.
Cpl. Derek C. Riekena, a heavy-equipment operator with the detachment, said he and others anticipated a lot of work to finish the project from the moment they arrived. “While en route to our camp when we first got to the island, we could feel all the bumps and ruts we drove through,” the St. Peters, Missouri native said. “We have taken shorter lunch periods because we knew this was going to take a while. Since we started, we have made a remarkable difference.”
With the project partly finished, local resident Daud and others are already looking forward to a better road ahead. “We all come here every day and wave to the militaries to show our appreciation for their hard work,” said the 19-year-old. “The road is not even complete yet and we all have seen improvement.” (PRESS RELEASE)
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