U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Melinda Carbajal (left) with Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, and Philippine Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Alfredo Mendoza exchange tools at a construction site at Santa Cruz Elementary School, Palawan province, Philippines, on March 22, 2012. Philippine navy Seabees partnered with U.S. Marines to construct a building for the school as part of a humanitarian and civic assistance project for exercise Balikatan 2012. Balikatan is an annual bilateral training exercise designed to increase interoperability between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. military when responding to future natural disasters.