Saying that “the ball is in the Philippines’ court,” Japan has
revealed that its plan to provide the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) with
12 brand new patrol boats had yet to officially take off.
In a text message to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the Japanese
Embassy-attached Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC) said over
the weekend that “the status (of the aid program) has not changed.”
“It remains a plan since we have not yet received any official
request from the Philippine side,” said the JICC, which added, “Please
contact the Department of Transportation and Communications, the PCG or
the National Economic and Development Authority for updates.”
Contacted shortly before he was named interior secretary by President
Benigno Aquino, then Transportation Secretary Manuel Roxas said: “We,
the DOTC, and the Coast Guard are working with the Japanese government
and with the Department of Foreign Affairs on this.”
“I understand the DFA is already requesting formally (for the boats),” Roxas had told the Inquirer.
For its part, the DFA said “the plan of Japan to provide patrol boats to our Coast Guard has already been approved by the Neda.”
“We will formally inform the Japanese authorities as soon as possible,” said Raul Hernandez, the DFA spokesperson.
Minister Shinsuke Shimizu, head of the Japanese Embassy’s chancery,
said in an earlier interview that unlike the decades-old and
stripped-down ships the Philippines has been getting from the United
States, the patrol boats the PCG will get from Japan will be brand new.
Japan, he said, “has yet to decide which of the vessels will be built
and transferred to the Philippine government on official development
assistance or grants.”
He pointed out that “since 1990, Japan has been helping the Coast Guard in its capacity-building program.”
Fourteen years ago, Tokyo gave Manila a marine accident response and buoy tender ship that the agency named the BRP Corregidor.
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Jerry E. Esplanada | Philippine Daily Inquirer | September 3, 2012 | Article Link
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the japanese government asking the philippines whether to take or not new coast guard vessels? what seems to be the problem here, funds? why did we skirmish then when we realized that we lack navy and coast guard vessels? now that japan offers new ships, are we slowing down?
ReplyDeletewe can take those new ships because we need them for search and rescue, defense and patrol purposes. the ships can always be there for the navy if need be. delikado ang coast guard vessels na walang armas. how can you guard the coast and citizens without the needed weapons?
pls. take note that we need those coast guard vessels now that we are at the mercy of climate change...