The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Joint US Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG) coordinated with the local government of Batanes on Saturday to extend help to the typhoon-stricken area.

The AFP Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, represented by Lt. Col. Ariel Galimba, and JUSMAG chief Col. Edward Evans made a courtesy visit to Batanes Governor Marilou Cayco. 

Batanes was heavily devastated by Typhoon Julian which swept its way in the northernmost Philippine province.

This prompted the collaboration between the AFP and JUSMAG to streamline logistics and ensure that vital resources and aid reach the most severely impacted areas.

The JUSMAG team, along with representatives from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), also collaborated with the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council for the swift distribution of foreign disaster relief (FDR) supplies to affected communities in Batanes.

Earlier on Saturday, two US Marine Corps KC-130J Hercules aircraft carrying personnel and equipment arrived at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City. 

These aircraft, deployed from III Marine Expeditionary Force in Okinawa, Japan,  supported the transportation of essential aid under the direction of the US Indo-Pacific Command.