PCG personnel trained on vessel boarding

CEBU, Philippines — Some 30 selected officers of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Philippine National Police-Maritime Group had their skills and know-how upgraded through the just-concluded vessel Boarding Officer Course (BOC) in Cebu City.

The training was conducted by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Southeast Asia Training Team (SEATT) alongside their four counterpart US-trained instructors from the Philippines, two from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, two from the Royal Thailand Marine Police, and three experts from the Japan Coast Guard.

SEATT’s Vessel Boarding Officer Course taught participants basic skills and techniques on boarding vessels for at-sea law enforcement. Maritime law, evidence collection and preservation, safety and risk mitigation, arresting techniques, defensive tactics, and authorized use of force techniques were also thought.

This Coast Guard District Central Visayas-hosted event is the first USCG-International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs’ event held in the Visayas. This was funded by the US State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

The previous editions of the SEATT Boarding Officer Courses were held in Palawan and La Union, which also featured multinational coast guard trainers and participants from Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

This latest event was declared successful.

“This was the first time that PCG took the lead on planning and facilitating a multinational training event in Central Visayas, and it proved to be a resounding success,” USCG team lead Lieutenant Dana Schmitt said.

Schmitt also attributed the success to the collaboration of multinational instructors.

“We’d like to highlight the outstanding collaboration among our group of multinational instructors in training Philippine maritime law enforcement professionals to uphold maritime governance more effectively,” added Schmitt.

Host Coast Guard District Central Visayas commander Commodore Christopher Meniado said the said BOC harnessed the region’s coast guardians’ skills.

“Through the Boarding Officer Course of the USCG SEATT, coast guardians of Central Visayas harnessed a high standard of maritime interdiction capabilities,” said Meniado.

It was also noted that this BOC was also the first SEATT event led by a female PCG instructor, Lieutenant Junior Grade Cyril Pearl Magbanua.

“Being the only female of the group in this male-dominated field, I am forever grateful to the SEATT for the trust in designating me as the team lead for this latest successful multilateral law enforcement undertaking where many of the PCG personnel benefited. This is a great avenue of validating female personnel in the service and showcasing our skills. No responsibility is big if you have the passion in pursuing it,” she said.

The SEATT program is one of several US-funded programs that promote cooperative training for the advancement of shared maritime security goals in Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, the simultaneous showdown inspection of the PNP Disaster Response Equipment Capabilities was held yesterday.

The city and provincial police offices as well as other units of the Police Regional Office-7 did the event, which was intended to determine the capability and capacity of the police to respond to disasters, especially after different areas in the Philippines were recently hit hard by Typhoon Aghon.

Cebu City Police Office Deputy City Director for Administration Police Lieutenant Colonel Janette Rafter said there is still a lack of equipment, but she said that during a disaster it is not only the police who respond but also other government agencies and they work together. — (FREEMAN)