The government of Japan will donate ¥210 million or about P82.8 million to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to enhance the operation and maintenance capabilities of the latter's patrol vessels.
Admiral Artemio Abu, PCG Commandant, said that the grant will be used to procure 13 portable generators for the Coast Guard’s floating assets.
“The generators will be distributed to various ports around the country to assist in the maintenance and repair of PCG’s vessels as they go about their patrol of Philippine seas,” Abu said in a statement Friday night, June 10.
Abu said the grant will help strengthen the country’s maritime security and further develop the robust relations between Tokyo and Manila.
The PCG has recently acquired two Japan-made multi-role response vessels, the BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701) and BRP Melchora Aquino (MRRV-9702), for its maritime patrols and search and rescue operations.
BRP Teresa Magbanua arrived in February while BRP Melchora Aquino was delivered earlier this month.
The two vessels are the largest assets in the current fleet of the PCG, and were constructed at the Shimonoseki Shipyard of the Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd in Japan.
Last Thursday, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koshikawa Kazuhiko and Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. signed and exchanged notes for two grant aid programs from the Japanese government.
One of the signed notes was the grant for the PCG’s procurement of generators.
The other note involved grant assistance worth 500 million yen for the provision of various health equipment such as dialysis machines, oxygen pipeline systems, intensive care unit (ICU) beds, biosafety cabinets, fully functional operation room including lighting, and tables to 10 major hospitals in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).