USS Pinckney docks at Manila harbor . Destroyer USS Pinckney docks at Manila South Harbor on Saturday February 8, 2014, for a routine port call and a five-day goodwill visit to highlight strong ties between the US and the Philippines. Danny Pata
The USS Pinckney, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer docked at the South Habor in Manila for a routine port call according to a report from GMA’s Balitanghali program on Saturday.
Commanding officer Frank Okata said this is the first time the warship visited the Philippines and the South East Asian region.
Its crew members will be staying for a five-day goodwill visit which Okata said will give the US Navy crew a chance to interact with Filipinos and visit Metro Manila.
Also he said their crew members meticulously prepared for their visit to the country to avoid a repeat of an incident last year when the USS Guardian ran aground at the Tubbataha Reef, a World Heritage Site.
Among USS Pinckney’s crew members is Filipino-American US Navy seal Geraldine Igualdo who originally hails from Benguet province, the report said.
According to Igualdo, there were a dozen Pinckney sailors of Filipino descent.
The USS Pinckney is home-ported at San Diego, California, and traveled a month to reach the Philippines. — Andrei Medina /LBG, GMA News
