An amendment of the memorandum of cooperation between Japan and the Philippines, which will allow the country’s acquisition of five 97-meter vessels, will be signed in Tokyo on December 16, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Tuesday.

“The amendment of the memorandum of cooperation between Japan and the Philippines which was signed in 2017 will be signed this December 16. That is the initial schedule that we have now,” PCG Commandant Admiral Gil Gavan said at a press briefing held at the Coast Guard’s headquarters in Manila.

“That will be very helpful to put forward the acquisition program,” Gavan said

According to Gavan, the procurement of the vessels will cost around P29 billion and they are expecting to receive the first ship in 2027.

The PCG also plans to build a fleet base in Subic and Manila Bay to accommodate bigger vessels the country will procure from Japan.

“On the issue of port facility with these bigger ships, we are working towards the establishment of our fleet base in Subic. And we are also looking at other areas which (were) recently offered to us within Manila Bay. So we are giving serious consideration with that particular requirement. Even the President has reminded us to develop the port facility for those big ships,” Gavan said.

“For our immediate use, we have existing port facilities managed by the Philippine Ports Authority which can handle these ships,” he said.

Gavan said he will be part of the delegates who will visit Japan with Marcos and they will discuss the maritime ties of the two countries.

“There are initial instructions for me to join the team. And we will be talking about the maritime cooperation between the Philippines and Japan. I’m not privy whether it will cover other aspects,” he said. Jaspearl Tan/DMS