Kapampangan serving aboard a US Navy destroyer in Japan

Approximately 35 miles south of Tokyo, a Kapampangan sailor is helping keep a US Navy destroyer with over 200 crew members on board running.

Petty Officer 1st Class Benjie Ronquillo is serving as an electrician's mate aboard the USS Fitzgerald, a destroyer based in Yokosuka, Japan.

According to an article on the Navy Office of Community Outreach website, part of Ronquillo's job is to ensure the destroyer's peak performance by standing guard over the generators, electrical equipment, and other circuitry.

“I am responsible for providing power throughout the ship,” said Ronquillo, who completed a degree at the Guagua National College in Guagua, Pampanga, in 1993.

He told Navy Office of Community Outreach that the “tightness of the crew” — and the benefits that come with it — inspired him to continue working on the ship.

His commanding officer, Cmdr. Chris England, said USS Fitzgerald represents a “diversity of ethnicity” and called on its officers to be proud of their accomplishments.

“These sailors should be justifiably proud of their accomplishments – a direct reflection of their dedication to mission accomplishment, motivation, and commitment to the Navy,” he said.

The Navy Office of Community Outreach article said USS Fitzgerald is equipped to be a first respondent in combat scenarios throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

US Navy ships are no strangers to Filipino crewmembers, as more and more men and women choose to enlist with the country's military force.

Stories of Filipinos or Filipino-Americans in the US military are not actually rare. Last September, two young Fil-Am officers chose to re-enlist in with the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines at the US Embassy.

In February last year, dozens of Filipino sailors aboard the USS Pinckney had a brief homecoming when the warship docked at a Manila port. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News