Zero piracy incident in Mindanao in 10 months — PCG

MANILA, Philippines — During the first 10 months of the year, there has been no incident of sea piracy in Mindanao.

 Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) commandant Admiral Elson Hermogino recently said that from January to October they were able to suppress sea piracy in southern Mindanao because of their intensified sea patrols in the area, which was plagued by terrorists and sea pirates in previous years.

“The PCG has always actively been conducting sea patrols in southern Philippines to protect our ports and sea-lanes from lawless elements and ensure stability in the movement of goods and passengers. But during the last 10 months of this year, we are happy to announce that our efforts resulted in zero piracy incident,” Hermogino said.

He pointed out that over the years, the PCG and other government agencies have been fighting off terrorists and sea pirates who threaten international ships that pass through the country’s sea-lanes, particularly the Sibutu Passage in Tawi-Tawi province through which about 13,000 international ships pass every year. There were also reports in the past of cargo ships being attacked by armed bandits and terrorists. 

The PCG has increased its presence in Mindanao and deployed some of its newly acquired ships to the region. It received all 10 newly built 44-meter multi-role response vessels and 10 units of rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) from Japan and distributed them nationwide, including Mindanao. 

The Japanese embassy is also expected to donate two 92-meter RHIBs to the PCG, the first unit of which would be delivered by Oct. 20, 2021 and the second by Feb. 20, 2022.