Cpl. Heather Golden

GURUYAN BARANGAY, Juban, Sorsogon Province, (April 25, 2009) Republic of the Philippines - Two combat engineers from Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, 1st Marine Air Wing, spent their free time freeing one local household from constant flooding.

Corporals Ashton Morris and Adam Dorfman, both stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Butler, Okinawa, Japan, are here working with Armed Forces of the Philippines engineers on improving a one-kilometer-long road for the Guruyan community as part of the humanitarian efforts of Balikatan 2009.

But with rain and equipment delivery slowing them down early in the project, the pair had time to notice a local home in trouble.

"We noticed water backing up and flooding the house," Morris explained. "The water was not getting to their (rice) fields."

The culvert, a cement pipe that runs under the road to redirect water away from the home and into the fields, was packed with mud, blocking water flow. It was not uncommon for the house to take on 12 or more inches of water after a storm, said resident Joanne Bulano. Joanne lives in the house with her elderly father, Edgardo Bulano, husband Ruel Doloeres and their young son.

The Marines picked up their shovels and spent three days scrapping mud out of the culvert and digging a better ditch leading down to the fields. Much of the work they had to do involved crawling under the road to make sure the culvert was clear of all debris, Dorfman said.

"The culvert is a big help for us, because it eases the flooding when it rains," Joanne said. "Thank you all for all the help you've given us, and for the road and school. We support you (Philippine and U.S. Navy Seabees and U.S. Marines)."

After the first few days of heavy down-pouring early in the month, the weather cleared up, allowing Morris, Dorfman and the rest of the AFP and Marine crew to get to work on the road project, said Staff Sgt. Guarionex Illas, the staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the Marines' engineering team in Guruyan.

The road, called a market road, will make it easier and faster for the local population to get their rice crops to market. This will ultimately help build up the improvised area's economy, said Joebert Dugan, a Barangay official who checks on the project periodically.

However, the early rains did give the group a chance to see the conditions the new road will be subjected to.

"We actually got to see what the rain does, not only to the existing road, but also to the fields and the homes," Illas said.

The AFP and Marine engineers started by removing a large amount of the mud from the recent rain, flattened out potholes and dug out ditches. They are currently working on layering the dirt path with a mixture of rock and a solidifying agent and crowning the top so water runs off easily, Illas said.

"Before, there was no stabilization, no drainage," Illas explained.

The crew also replaced or repaired other culverts. All of the culverts serve the same two-fold purpose as the one Morris and Dorfman repaired by keeping flooding at a minimal and providing extra irrigation for the rice crops, Illas said. The project is projected will be turned over to the local Barangay in a dedication ceremony April 29.

Balikatan 2009 is a joint mission that promotes unity and readiness between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States. The nations’ governments are working to ensure humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts are efficient and effective. Balikatan is a Tagalog word that means “shoulder-to-shoulder” and characterizes the philosophy and intent behind the mission.