Training provided by a Hawai'i National Guard unit helped Philippine military and police put down a Nov. 29 standoff in Manila, when about 12 soldiers took over a hotel and called for the resignation of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Members of the Hawai'i Guard's 93rd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team had trained their Filipino police, military and fire counterparts in responding to terrorist actions and other disasters at Fernando Air Base in Batangas Nov. 5-9.

That knowledge was put to use when Philippine authorities ended the seven-hour standoff at the Peninsula Hotel amid gunfire and tear gas. Troops rammed an armored personnel carrier through the luxury hotel's glass doors.

Lt. Col. Trey Johnson III, who commands the Hawai'i unit, witnessed the police Special Action Force arrive at the hotel, and was less than a block away during the siege.

"It was pretty intense because there were shots ringing, and a couple of shots from inside," Johnson said. "I got to kind of monitor it firsthand, and I was talking to some of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the embassy people and the (police) about it."

In a Dec. 3 letter to Johnson, Philippine National Police Superintendent Silverio D. Alarcio Jr. wrote that the training in the use of personal protective equipment was particularly timely, and resulted in the successful police operations at the hotel.

"They were looking for a non-lethal means to quell the situation, minimize collateral damage, and what they did was they employed tear gas," Johnson said.

PROTECTIVE GEAR

Although tear gas has been around for a long time, the Philippine police didn't typically train with protective gear, including special masks and suits, and that was one aspect of the training earlier in the month, he said.

The exchange was part of a continuing relationship the Hawai'i National Guard has with the Philippines and a developing relationship the Guard has with Indonesia.

The training with Philippine officials also helped widen the response capabilities that the Civil Support Teams bring to weapons of mass destruction incidents and other disasters.

Fifty-three of 55 such teams nationally and in U.S. territories have been certified by the Defense Department, Johnson said. Hawai'i's team of 22 Army and Air Guard personnel was certified in 2002.

The team has a $1.5 million command vehicle with voice and digital hookup to two types of satellite systems.

"We can talk anywhere in the world, basically," Johnson said.

The unit also has a $2.5 million lab truck that can analyze biological, chemical or radiological agents.

CLOSER TO HOME

On Nov. 10, Johnson certified the Philippine team as having initial operating capability.

Seven team members from the Philippines took part in a Hawai'i Guard exercise in September on Kaua'i. In November, eight Civil Support Team members from Hawai'i and eight members of the 94th Civil Support Team on Guam conducted the exercise at Fernando Air Base in the Philippines under Johnson's command.

The exercise used parts of the base to simulate weapons of mass destruction attacks on the presidential Malacanang Palace and the airport in Manila.

The Hawai'i unit also works closer to home. In June, the Civil Support Team responded to a Pearl City fire that led to the discovery of 14 carbon monoxide canisters that were not certified for use and were being used to treat fish, he said.

Four had exploded and the remainder threatened adjacent neighborhoods. The Civil Support Team assisted in securing the remaining 11 cylinders over two days.

The Civil Support Teams are assigned varying response times to report nationally to a weapons of mass destruction incident. Currently, the Hawai'i team has to be ready to respond nationally in 12 hours, Johnson said. In January, the team has to be ready to respond in four hours.

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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