San Joaquin village in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte has realized its dream to have its own health care facility.

There will be at least 10 village health workers and two nutrition scholars who will serve in the center, which was inaugurated Friday.

“This is a big deal for us because we never expected that in just a span of 30 days, we now have this beautiful building in front of us,” said San Joaquin village chief Michael Lardizabal in a media interview.

Funded by the United States government, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and US Armed Forces led the construction of the new Community Health Care Center as part of the Balikatan Exercises 2023 under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

During a dedication ceremony and formal signing of documents, Philippine Navy Commodore Karl Decapia, deputy commander of the Northern Luzon Command told reporters that aside from the building itself, they plan to equip the health care facility further in order to improve residents’ access to health care services.

The construction of the health center is part of the Balikatan military’s humanitarian and civic works.

This year’s “Balikatan” and 38th iteration overall is the largest annual exercise between the Philippines and the US, with more 17,600 participants.

The exercises started on April 11 and will end Friday. (PNA)