PH Navy welcomes growing role of Coast Guard in West PH Sea

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Navy Flag Officer in Command Vice Admiral Jesus Millan welcomed the growing role of the Coast Guard and other government agencies in improving the country’s maritime security posture at a time that the small country is facing aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

“The modernization (of the navy) is a go, but we cannot develop such capabilities overnight… It is better really to work with such framework. We cannot do our job alone,” Millan told reporters during the Philippine Navy’s 117th anniversary celebration last Monday, May 25. 

The navy has been at the forefront of dealing with the challenges posed by China’s aggressiveness in the disputed waters, but it is short on assets to perform basic tasks such as maritime patrol.

“The Philippine Navy engages its fellow maritime law enforces so as to come up with a comprehensive maritime security posture for the Philippines. To this end, your navy partnered with other [Armed Forces] units, Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Philippine National Police–Maritime Group, and 11 other government agencies for the crafting of an inter-agency maritime security and law enforcement operations in the country,” Millan said in his speech.

The growing role of the Coast Guard in maritime security operations is articulated in the 2011 Executive Order 57, but it needed time to be implemented also because of the Coast Guard’s limited capabilities.

READ: Inside the ‘brain’ of PH maritime law enforcement ops
WATCH: Rappler Talk on the National Coast Watch Centere

The inauguration of the National Coast Watch Center in April was symbolic of this shift. The facility built inside the headquarters of the Coat Guard was designed to serve as the brain center for the country’s maritime law enforcement operations.

The Center pools maritime surveillance data from the government agencies including the navy to provide a complete picture of what’s happening in Philippine waters and enforce the country’s maritime laws. (READ: China deployed artillery in South China Sea – US)

Officers of the navy and the coast guard have also been holding seminars to overcome the turf wars that previously prevented meaningful cooperation.

The Coast Guard has also been getting a lot of help from the country’s foreign allies. The National Coast Watch Center was primarily funded by the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency. 

The US and Philippine Coast Guard conducted a joint Small Boat Operation Course this week as part of a continuing collaboration on improving maritime security. 

“This two-week intensive course was conducted at the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Southern Tagalog District Office in Batangas City.  15 PCG personnel from the Southern Tagalog and Bicol Districts engaged in practical exercises designed to develop boat handling skills, engineering casualty control, safe execution of a man overboard recovery and responding to various emergency situations,” the US embassy said in a statement.

It was the US Department of State’s Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) Program, which provided funding for the course, will also send Philippine Coast Guard to the US Coast Guard Academy for more training exercises.

The Coast Guard also received an Official Development Assistance (ODA) from Japan. The Maritime Safety Capability Improvement Project, which is a tied loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will equip the coast guard with 10 40-meter multi-role response vessels (MRRVs). – Rappler.com