PCG: New Bicol radar station to monitor eastern seaboard

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) inaugurated its first ever radar station in Bicol to be used in monitoring vessels passing through the eastern seaboard, including those that might be moving near the Philippine Rise.

PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said that the radar station is located in Barangay Hiyop, Pandan, Catanduanes, an island province in the Bicol region with the Philippine Sea as part of its boundaries.

Catanduanes is also situated in the easternmost edge of Luzon.

Balilo said that the Radar Station Catanduanes, launched last July 26, could detect vessels moving toward the vicinity of the Philippine Rise, also referred to as Benham Rise.

This would enable the Coast Guard to immediately have information on the location of ships, whether these vessels were merely passing through or if they lingered for days near the area.

GMA Regional TV earlier reported that the Coast Guard’s Radar Station Catanduanes is capable of monitoring vessels passing through the eastern seaboard as far as 70 to 96 nautical miles.

Catanduanes is reportedly 355 kilometers or 191.68 nautical miles away from the Philippine Rise.

While the monitoring range of the radar station is not enough to reach the Philippine Rise, it could still be useful in detecting the movement of vessels in areas surrounding the Philippine Rise.

The radar station would boost the Coast Guard’s monitoring capability in the eastern seaboard and detect if vessels, domestic and foreign, are passing through the area.

There had been reports of China-flagged research vessels being spotted “loitering” at the 13-million-hectare Philippine Rise, an underwater plateau that is part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and the country’s extended continental shelf.

According to reports, last April the China-flagged research vessel Shen Kuo departed from the Shenzhen Port and passed through Itbayat and Basco, Batanes and went to Northern Samar before going to Catanduanes.

The PCG’s radar station could also be useful in locating small boats and be utilized during the conduct of search and rescue operations. The radar’s cameras could reach as far as five nautical miles.