NAVAL STATION JOSE ANDRADA, Manila, September 29 – Philippine Navy (PN) Fag Officer in Command, Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo visited the headquarters of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) at South Harbor, Manila as a gesture of affirming stronger inter-agency cooperation.
VAdm Bacordo met with PCG Commandant and fellow member of PMA “Hinirang Class of 1987, Admiral George Ursabia Jr, along with the members of his staff. They discussed successful collaborations and plans especially in the conduct of maritime law enforcement country-wide. Admiral Ursabia underscored the significance of this visit as an avenue “to have a good working relationship, to promote a better working relationship for we work in a common environment, and that is the maritime environment.”
“Even though we (the PCG) are a separate outfit, we still want to converge with our former mother, the Philippine Navy,” added Adm Ursabia in citing another important purpose of this visit. PCG was a major unit of the PN from 1967 until its transfer to the then Department of Transportation and Communications in 1998.
For his part, Navy Chief VAdm Bacordo pointed out that the country needs “a strong maritime sector because we are an archipelagic country and this collaboration now with the Coast Guard and the Navy is going into that direction.”
The PCG visit came a day after the courtesy call on the Navy Chief by the newly assumed director of the National Coast Watch Center (NCWC), PCG Commodore Roy Echeverria.
The visiting PCG official of NCWC was given fitting honors upon his arrival at the PN headquarters and was received by the FOIC, PN along with the members of his staff.
The Navy Chief expressed full support to the NCWC that is mandated to coordinate and implement the whole of government efforts in protecting the Philippine national interests against security threats, enforcement of national sovereignty and sovereign rights, and fulfillment of the international responsibilities and obligations throughout the maritime jurisdiction of the country. VAdm Bacordo considered the NCWC visit as an “opportunity to come up with stronger inter-agency coordination and collaboration between NCWC and our maritime research information center (MRIC) and maritime situational awareness centers (MSAC) in providing them maritime information to support awareness in our maritime domain.”
Commo Echeverria took over the helm of NCWC last 01-September-2020. He was the former Commander of the Coast Guard District Southeastern Mindanao prior to his assumption to PCG Commandant..
The said calls further established a robust linkage among the three agencies – PN, PCG, and NCWC – as they strengthen ties towards enhancing maritime governance while they share the responsibility of monitoring and defending the country’s maritime domain.
SOURCE: https://navy.mil.ph/