CEBU CITY—The third class city of Danao in the northern part of Cebu will no longer be just known as a hub of illegal gun manufacturers.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has recently acquired 22 units of high-speed tactical watercraft that were built by Dynacast, a shipbuilding company based in Danao City, northern Cebu.
Police Brig. Gen. Albert Ignatius Ferro, chief of the Police Regional Office Central Visayas, said the speedboats showed the engineering and craftsmanship of Cebuanos.
“It was really good. At 47 knots, it was still stable,” said Ferro, who recently inspected the boats.
The watercraft will be distributed to different maritime police units in the country.
Each boat is powered by three outboard motors, and is able to reach speeds of more than 40 knots. The watercraft are armed with 7.62 mm machineguns and automatic grenade launchers.
The propellers of the newly acquired speedboats are the same propellers installed in watercraft used by the maritime unit of the New York Police Department in the United States.
Ferro said the high-speed watercraft will further enhance maritime law enforcement and ensure public safety and internal security over Philippine territorial waters and rivers.
“The way to protect us from smuggling of illegal drugs and terrorism is having a strong police force in the maritime line,” added Ferro.
In the country’s maritime security, Ferro explained that municipal waters are being watched by the maritime police, while the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Philippine Navy (PN) are tasked with watchiing over economic waters and international waters, respectively.
Ferro said local government units (LGUs) must also have a role in securing their respective coastal areas.
“It is made in Cebu so our LGUs here should have that kind of a watercraft,” said Ferro.
Ferro said the PNP is expected to acquire more similar watercraft.