The Philippines and Japan coast guards performed a joint maritime law enforcement (MARLEN) exercise in Manila Bay on Wednesday.

Lt. Noriel Ramos, Coast Guard deputy commander of surface training group, said four Japanese Coast Guard experts conducted a three-day training exercise with the Philippine Coast Guard.

These Japanese experts arrived last Monday and were expected to leave on Friday, he said.

Ramos said the three-day exercise started with a meeting between the Philippine and Japan coast guards last Tuesday. The second and third day drills will be actual maritime law enforcement training off Manila Bay.

Commander Shigeru Yoshida of the Japan Coast Guard and the Maritime Law Enforcement Team leader said the exercises Wednesday focused on rubber boat operations.

“Today through JICA and JCG, we have representatives to give some training to Philippine Coast Guard, and we will be doing a lot of exercises thru the use of (RIB) which is the rubber boat and how we could do some rescue or how we could work on the proper dealings against protesters through the use of rubber boat,” Yoshida told Daily Manila Shimbun.

He noted it is the second maritime law enforcement operation exercise between the Japanese Coast Guard and their Filipino counterparts this year.

“For this year this is the second time that this exercise is going to be done here in Manila. We just had our first exercise last month using the (BRP) Tubbataha ship that was sent from Japan here,” Yoshida said.

“Next month another main ship will be coming from Japan and will be having another training next year,” he added.

Yoshida said the training drills they had with BRP Tubbataha last month include operations against poachers.

“We had some exercises of how to deal against illegal fishers and also for rescue operation so we did an onsite training using the ship,” he said.

Yoshida emphasized the importance of joint training between the two countries coast guards not only in capability enhancement but on strengthening their cooperation.

“It’s very, very big meaning in terms of the training given from Japan and JICA is being put in a very important position of sending this specialist of giving training from Japan to PCG and we are doing our best so PCG and JCG the two of these can have a very trust worthy relationship and strong bond thru this kind of training,” he said. Robina Asido/DMS