EIGHT ships from the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) carried out maritime exercises in the West Philippine Sea last Saturday in pursuit of its supportive role of securing the country’s maritime waters.
The training was held at Scarborough Shoal following the holding of a similar exercise at Pagasa Island, according to Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Armand Balilo. He added it followed the two weeks military exercises between the US and the country that wrapped up last Friday.
The “comprehensive” maritime exercises at the West Philippine Sea were held amid the presence of a flotilla of Chinese military and paramilitary ships in the Kalayaan Island Group and WPS, including at the Whitsun Reef.
“We are supporting the whole-of-nation approach in securing our maritime jurisdiction, especially the efforts of the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) to undertake maritime security, maritime safety, maritime law enforcement, maritime search and rescue, and marine environmental protection roles in our country’s waters,” Balilo said.
He added that similar exercises would also be held in the Batanes Group of Islands and Benham Rise as well as in the southern and eastern portions of the country.
During the exercises, the crew of the ships, including the Coast Guard-manned BFAR vessels intensified their trainings on navigation, small boat operations, maintenance and logistical operations.
“On board their respective vessels, other PCG personnel composed of lawyers, medical doctors, nurses, rescue swimmers, weapons, communications, and information systems technicians and other maritime specialists, also undergo lectures and drills on manual plotting, piloting, firefighting and basic life support,” Balilo said.
Balilo said the maritime exercises led by the Task Force Pagsasanay are intended to achieve operational and logistical efficiency to optimize the utilization of Coast Guard’s manpower and assets through a “harmonized command and control and supply chain.”
It was the Coast Guard that spotted the presence of 220 Chinese maritime militia vessels at the Whitsun Reef on March 7 before most of the ships dispersed and redeployed in other parts of Kalayaan Island Group and WPS.
Coast Guard commandant Admiral George V. Ursabia Jr. ordered the activation of Task Force Pagsasanay (training) with Vice Admiral Oscar C. Endona, commander of PCG’s maritime Security Command as head to intensify and harmonize the capacity building and sustainment efforts for PCG personnel and assets in safeguarding Philippine waters.
The ongoing exercises will last for two weeks.
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