11 August 2015 - Philippine Consul General Gina A. Jamoralin, together with Hawaii House of Representatives Vice-Speaker John Mizuno, and his wife May Mizuno, President of the Congress of Visayan Organizations in Hawaii (COVO), visited the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy on July 19 upon the invitation of the US Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Scott Swift. The visiting delegation from Hawaii were one of the first official visitors  aboard the hospital ship when it  arrived in Roxas City, Capiz Province on July 18 for the first half of its mission stop in the Philippines for the Pacific Partnership 2015 (PP15). The hospital ship left Roxas City for Subic Bay on August 04.

Consul General Jamoralin and party were accompanied by Rear Admiral Charles Williams, of the US Navy on board a US Navy helicopter which flew them to USNS Mercy and back to Roxas City airport. While onboard the ship, Commodore Christopher  Engdahl, Pacific Partnershp 2015 Mission Commander  and Captain Melanie Merrick, Commander, Medical Treatment Facility briefed the visiting officials of the activities of the medical staff aboard the hospital ship and gave them a tour of the state-of-the art medical hospital facilities.

Consul General Jamoralin commended the USNS Mercy officials for providing medical and dental services to the host community and opportunities for collaboration between the USNS Mercy medical staff and Philippine local doctors and nurses. This collaboration at the community level is a powerful symbol of the strong friendship between the Philippines and the United States. Consul General Jamoralin expressed appreciation for the work of the Pacific Partnership, the largest annual multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted by the United States through the US  Pacific Command with its security partners such as  the Philippines.  While on disaster and crisis training missions, Pacific Partnership missions provide medical care to host communities and critical infrastructure developments to host nations through engineering projects.

The USNS Mercy is currently in Subic Bay from August 05 to 14 for the second half of its mission in the Philippines.  END