The Philippine Delegation was composed of officials from the Office of Civil Defense of the Department of National Defense, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Department of Health. The delegation participated in both Table Top (TTX) and Field Training Exercises (FTX) scheduled during the entire event.

The ARF DiREx is a collaborative effort among military and civilian authorities from ARF and ASEAN-member countries in organizing a large scale disaster relief exercise. It’s objectives include: advancing and building the capacity of ARF members in the civil-military coordination in response to disasters; and testing the existing standard operating procedures/ protocols/ tools of ASEAN regional, international and the affected (host) nation pertaining to multinational disaster relief operations. The Philippines hosted ARF-DiREx in 2009.

Philippine Defense and Armed Forces Attaché Col. Reuben Basiao (middle, right) shakes hand with the Thai Royal Armed Forces’ Chief of Defense Forces Gen Thanasak Patimaprakorn (middle, left in shades) at the King Rama VI Army Camp in Cha-am.

Members of the Philippine and Indonesian DiREx Delegations attend to a “patient” during the FTX inside the Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF) First Aid Station.

Members of the Philippine and Thai delegations wait for the arrival of “patients” during the FTX inside an RTARF mobile hospital.

BGen. Joselito Avanceña, Head of the Philippine Delegation to the 2013 ARF DiREx and AFP Surgeon General, exchanges views with a member of the RTARF Medical Team and Col. Basiao inside a mobile hospital set-up by the RTARF.

Members of the Philippine DiREx delegation with participants from Thailand, South Korea and Japan after the last FTX scenario at King Rama VI Army Camp in Cha-am.