ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider PCG concludes maritime pollution exercise; boosts ties with Indonesia, Japan counterparts

PCG concludes maritime pollution exercise; boosts ties with Indonesia, Japan counterparts

Published Jun 29, 2024 07:23 am
pcg.jpg
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel wave Philippine, Indonesian, and Japanese flags during the closing ceremony of the Regional Maritime Pollution Exercise (MARPOLEX) 2024 at the BREDCO Port in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental on June 28, 2024. (Photo by PCG)

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has enhanced its interoperability with Indonesia’s Directorate General of Sea Transportation (DGST) and Japan Coast Guard (JCG) as it concluded the Regional Maritime Pollution Exercise (MARPOLEX) 2024 on Friday, June 28.

The closing ceremony of the four-day maritime exercise was held at the BREDCO Port in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.

Vice Admiral Rolando Lizor Punzalan Jr., PCG deputy commandant for operations, said the agency learned the best practices of the DGST and JCG in responding to oil spill incidents and protecting marine ecosystems. 

“Our ability to collaborate, communicate effectively, and mobilize resources has been truly inspiring and demonstrates our shared commitment to safeguarding our oceans for future generations,” he said in a statement on Saturday, June 29.

The exercise, which kicked off on June 24, included the conduct of joint search and rescue operations, firefighting simulation, oil spill and equipment recovery operations, as well as damage assessment in the vicinity waters off Guimaras Strait in Western Visayas. 

The exercise co-directors were Vice Adm. Roy Echeverria for the PCG, Rear Adm. Jon Kenedi for the DGST, and Captain Sase Koichi for the JCG.

Six vessels participated in the drills namely offshore patrol vessel BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301), multi-role response vessel BRP Cape San Agustin (MRRV-4408), tugboat BRP Habagat (TB-271), fast patrol boat BRP Kalanggaman (FPB-2404), patrol vessel KN Trisula P111 from DGST, and patrol vessel PLH 02 Tsugaru from JCG.

Punzalan encouraged the DGST and JCG to remain vigilant, proactive, and resolute in their mission to protect the oceans and create a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable future. 

“Our work does not end here. The threats of marine pollution are real and ongoing. It is up to us to continue our efforts to reduce, prevent, and mitigate the impacts of pollution on our oceans,” he said.

The exercise served as an avenue for the three coast guard groups to refine their response capabilities to various sea incidents. 

In 2023, the PCG’s oil spill response capability was put to test when an oil spill occurred in Oriental Mindoro due to the sinking of M/T Princess Empress. In 2006, Guimaras Strait was among those affected by another major oil spill as a result of the sinking of MT Solar 1.

The biennial MARPOLEX is an implementation of the 1981 Sulawesi Sea Oil Spill Response Network Plan Agreement. The Regional MARPOLEX 2024 was the 23rd conduct of the said maritime exercise since its establishment in 1986.

Related Tags

PCG MARPOLEX
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.