Captain Jeffrey Correa said that, in the Philippines, a stranger was a friend you hadn’t met yet. And he should know a thing or two about Filipino hospitality.  

Born in Manila, the Australian Army nursing officer said the welcoming, caring and empathetic culture that he was raised in drew him to his current profession.

“Filipino hospitality is about welcoming people into your heart,” Captain Correa said.  

“Filipinos are known to be very caring; there are a lot of Filipinos in every hospital around the world.”

Moving to Australia in 2016 and completing his Bachelor of Nursing at the University of Canberra, Captain Correa’s deployment on Exercise Balikatan was the first time he had returned home wearing the ADF uniform.

He said the reaction from his counterparts in the Armed Forces of the Philippines was uplifting.

“They were proud that I was wearing an Australian uniform,” Captain Correa said.  

“I think it's a Filipino thing, that you're proud of the achievement of other people.” 

On Exercise Balikatan, the 2nd Health Battalion nursing officer was responsible for overseeing operations at a Role 2 Forward hospital in Aporawan.  

He and his medical team provided emergency care to a multinational force, including personnel from Australia, New Zealand, the United States and the Philippines, for a live-fire exercise involving high explosives and machine guns to defeat a fictional amphibious assault.  

Captain Correa said being part of the exercise gave him the ability to see first-hand the importance of the relationship between the two nations he loves.

“Australia and the Philippines have a shared mutual respect, and from that strategic perspective we have a shared understanding of what needs to happen,” he said.

“Doing this training with the Philippines and our partner nations gives me that sense of pride, and building that bridge between the Philippines and the ADF – it strengthens those ties.”