US, Japan, PCG hold maritime law enforcement training in Palawan

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) instructors completed yesterday an 11-day training in maritime law enforcement in Puerto Princesa, Palawan together with their counterparts from the United States and Japan.

The US embassy in Manila said experts from the three countries led a Multinational Vessel Boarding Officer Course that aimed to strengthen the maritime law enforcement capabilities of the Southeast Asian countries represented in the course by more than 30 participants.

Jointly conducted by the US Coast Guard (USCG) Mobile Training Branch, the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) Mobile Cooperation Team and the PCG, the training program touched on the basics of boarding vessels in at-sea law enforcement.

The US State Department’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs provided $75,000 for the training program, the US embassy said.

The 33 program participants were from the PCG, the Philippine National Police Maritime Group, Malaysia’s Maritime Enforcement Agency, Thailand’s Maritime Enforcement Command Center and Vietnam’s Department of Fisheries.

The US embassy said participants also engaged in practical exercises focused on self-defense tactics and vessel search procedures.

“The Boarding Officer Course stands as a cornerstone in our relentless pursuit of maritime security. It equips us, alongside our esteemed multinational participants, with indispensable knowledge, skills and unwavering ethical principles while fostering cooperation and camaraderie with our international counterparts,” PCG instructor Ensign Gilbert Alberto Rueras said in a speech marking the completion of the exercise.

“Through this transformative experience, we are able to fortify our capabilities, ensuring the safety, prosperity and shared interests of our maritime domain,” he added.

“It has been an outstanding collaboration bringing all these countries and agencies together.  It is most fulfilling to see the students forming bonds and partnering during the boarding exercises,” USCG instructor Senior Chief Kenneth Christian said.

The US embassy said the USCG and JCG have been conducting joint maritime trainings for the PCG since April 2022. The latest course marked their first training event conducted for a multinational audience with the PCG as a co-host.

Meanwhile, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año clarified that PCG’s placing of navigational buoys in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) is an act of a sovereign nation pursuant to the country’s obligations under international law.

He stressed that such buoys were both for navigational safety and for marking the country’s territorial boundaries.

“As a maritime nation, it is imperative that the Philippines prioritize the maintenance of navigational safety to ensure the protection of our waters and the people who rely on them. The consequences of neglecting navigational safety can be catastrophic, leading to accidents, loss of life and damage to the environment,” Año stressed.

“We wish to stress that safe and efficient navigation is critical to international trade and commerce, and any disruption to this can have far-reaching consequences. Besides, our maritime borders are vulnerable to threats such as piracy, smuggling and terrorism. Thus, maintaining navigational safety is critical to safeguarding the nation against these threats,” he said.