Bandar Seri Begawan,November 5 (AseanAll) — The Brunei Darussalam 'Operasi BADAI TADUH Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) mission in the Republic of the Philippines following the severe Tropical Storm Kristine (Trami), was successfully carried out by the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) contingent from 27 October 2024 to 5 November 2024 and has safely returned home.
Photo credit: Brunei Ministry of Defence
Present to welcome their return was Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Retired) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof, Brunei Minister at the Prime Minister's Office and Minister of Defence II.
Photo credit: Brunei Ministry of Defence
Also in attendance were Yang Mulia Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Muhammad Haszaimi bin Bol Hassan, Commander RBAF; Members of Defence Executive Committee, Members of RBAF Executive Committee, Chargé d'affaires from the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines to Brunei Darussalam, Defence and Armed Forces Attache of the Republic of the Philippines, Acting Director of East Asia of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Senior Officers at the Ministry of Defence and families of the personnel involved in the mission.
Photo credit: Brunei Ministry of Defence
Brunei Darussalam via the Ministry of Defence, deployed two teams comprising 37 personnel using three Brunei Royal Air Force (RBAirF) aircrafts: one C295MW Transport Aircraft and two Blackhawk S70i helicopters to conduct Air Logistics Support to remote and inaccessible areas.
Throughout the mission, the first team based in Manila successfully carried out shuttle flights from Col Jesus Villamor Air Base, Manila to Bicol International Airport, Luzon, transporting a total of 379 tarpaulin sheets weighing 18.2 tonnes using the RBAirF's C295MW Transport Aircraft and totaling over 17.1 flight hours. Meanwhile, the second team based at the Old Legazpi Airport, successfully conducted flights to remote and inaccessible areas, delivering 1999 boxes of food supply weighing 18 tonnes using the RBAirF Blackhawk S70i helicopters, totaling to 11.5 flight hours. In total, Brunei Darussalam's 'Operasi BADAI TADUH' Humanitarian and Disaster Relief (HADR) Team successfully transported 36.2 tonnes of essential supplies to the affected areas.
In recognition of Brunei Darussalam's support for the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief mission for Typhoon Kristine (Trami), the Brunei Darussalam contingent was honoured with the “Chief of Staff, AFP Commendation Medal and Ribbon", presented by Lieutenant General Stephen P. Parreño TUF, Commander of the Philippine Air Force during a Recognition and Medal Presentation Ceremony.
The 'Operasi BADAI TADUH' mission exemplifies the Ministry of Defence's commitment to contributing to HADR operations in the region, recognising the contributions of the defence sector in addressing natural disasters and the use of military assets and capacities in support of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER).
