Reuters Posted online: Monday, March 07, 2005 at 1557 hours IST
LUISIANA, Philippines, March 7: Pulling bad teeth, performing circumcisions and building schools -- this is the gentler side of the military that the United States is increasingly eager to show the world.
In the Philippines, annual exercises are normally about training against Muslim and communist rebels but this year the emphasis was on healing the scars of natural disasters and poverty.
The operations mirrored those in Afghanistan and tsunami-hit Indonesia, where the US adversary in the battle for hearts and minds is Islamic militancy.
An older opponent is in the US military's sights in the Philippines, where poverty and corruption have fuelled Asia's oldest communist insurgency.
Residents of northern Laguna province turn shy when asked about the rebels camped out in the surrounding hills, referring to them as "our friends" or "brothers".
But Crystal Coroza, a mother of two, was happy to see Philippine and US soldiers pouring tonnes of earth on a narrow, potholed road in Luisiana town.
"We're glad they are improving the road," she said. "Since we moved in here 20 years ago, we've had to endure walking for hours because there's no available transportation due to thick layers of mud and deep watery holes."
HEARTS AND MINDS
In the nearby town of Siniloan, US and Philippine doctors pulled out about 500 decayed teeth and handed out vitamins and antibiotics to more than 2,000 residents.
They transformed a school into a field hospital as dozens of nervous boys lay down on desks to be circumcised.
"We took advantage of the situation because the hospital is far from here and we have to pay for minor surgery," Rosa Marquez said as she lined up for antibiotics for her circumcised 10-year-old son.
About 300 US troops have been helping 650 Philippine soldiers provide aid in areas of Laguna and Quezon provinces hit by storms and devastating mudslides late last year.
Tsunami relief around the Indian Ocean and other military commitments forced Washington to cut back the annual "Balikatan" (shoulder-to-shoulder) exercises, which usually involve thousands of troops.
The humanitarian efforts also coincided with efforts by the United States to polish its public relations, which President George W. Bush acknowledged recently had been poor compared with those of its adversaries.
"They need that softer touch," said security analyst Rex Robles, a retired Philippine naval officer.
"In any counter-terrorism strategy, building an image is always a key component. It's like draining the pond of water to catch the fish."
The Philippines has a long history with the United States, starting as a colony sold to Washington by the Spanish in 1898.
US forces returned to oust the Japanese towards the end of World War Two and then made heavy use of Philippine naval and air bases from the beginning of the Cold War until 1992.
Manila is an ally in the US-led war on terror, with its troops getting regular training and advice.
Filipinos have embraced many things American, including burgers, Hollywood movies and its political system.
COMMUNIST THREATS
Some of the US troops were second-generation Filipinos and able to talk to locals in the Tagalog language. Many considered the exercises as a way of getting back to their roots.
"The last time I was in the Philippines was when I was five years old," said Marilyn Macalos, a U.S. army captain with the 25th Infantry Division, who was handing out pairs of glasses and bottles of eye drops to elderly residents.
"It feels good serving people in my parents' homeland."
Since St Valentine's Day, US soldiers have been building two school buildings in Luisiana to meet a three-week deadline, ignoring threats from New People's Army (NPA) communist rebels operating in the surrounding mountains.
"We're not worried," said Sergeant John Goerge of the 142nd Combat Engineer Battalion. "We feel 100 percent safe."
Goerge and his men saw much worse during a 14-month stint in Iraq that ended last year, where they repaired schools and hospitals damaged by fighting.
Philippine communist rebels, waging an insurgency since 1969 in which at least 40,000 have been killed, had warned US troops against entering their areas during the exercises.
NPA guerrillas killed 10 Philippine soldiers in an ambush during last year's floods. The government said the troops had been bringing relief to stranded villages.
The Philippine military has been monitoring rebel movements in Laguna, parts of which are known NPA strongholds, but the rebels have yet to carry out any attacks.
While the rebels have support around Luisiana and in pockets throughout the country, protests against the American presence have been muted. For many residents affected by the floods, the US soldiers were welcome extra hands in the rebuilding.
"The local community is very supportive," said Lieutenant Renoir Huevos, head of the Philippine Navy engineering team. "They will not allow these projects to be sabotaged because these projects are for them."
