• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The ongoing Regional Marine Pollution Exercise (MARPOLEX) 2024 in Bacolod City “is fitting and imperative, not only for the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) but also for all the participating countries.”
This was stressed by Atty. Julius Yano, Department of Transportation’s assistant secretary for Maritime, at the Joint Signing and Declaration of the Start of MARPOLEX 2024 at Acacia Hotel Convention Hall in Bacolod June 25.
Yano, who was the guest of honor and speaker, said in his message that “this kind of exercise, not always undertaken by others, is truly special.”
He said there is need to continuously train the “guardians of the sea, the environmental warriors…and more importantly develop the capabilities to combat marine pollution.”
“Let us embrace this great opportunity to learn firsthand…as we continue to exchange knowledge, share best practices, and build strong partnerships through this Regional Marine Pollution Exercise,” he added.
Yano said he is proud that the PCG is involved in this cooperation, and has become a counterpart of the Directorate General of Sea Transportation of Indonesia (DGST) and the Japan Coast Guard (JCG). “I hope that this good friendship, teamwork, and respect for one another remain unchanged.”
PCG Vice Admiral Roy Echeverria, MARPOLEX 2024 co-director, said this exercise “is good for our people so they would be better prepared”, as he thanked Bacolod and Negros Occidental officials for their full support to this endeavor.
“We are doing this to be better prepared. Everything comes down to good preparations,” Echeverria said, and assured that the MARPOLEX will not hamper or affect sea travel and fishing in the waters of Bacolod since the exercise will only be done within a designated area.
The participating PCG, DGST, and JCG vessels and personnel will do search and rescue, firefighting, oil spill recovery operation, and equipment recovery operation, among others, during the exercise proper today, June 26.
Coast guards from South Korea, Taiwan, United States, as well as delegates from the National Southern Oil Spill Response Center of Vietnam, the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited of the United Kingdom, and the Oil Spill Response Limited from Singapore will join the MARPOLEX as observers, the PCG said.
Rear Admiral Kanosue Hiroaki, head of the JCG delegation, said the MARPOLEX will further “strengthen and develop our capacity building, in terms of oil spill control,” adding that securing the safety of the sea…“is very critical when it comes to economical activities”.
The PCG said the biennial MARPOLEX is pursuant to the 1981 Sulawesi Sea Oil Spill Response Network Plan Agreement, adding that this year’s exercise is the 23rd since its establishment in 1988.
The PCG and DGST maintain a strong fraternal agreement that promotes multilateral cooperation and collaborative efforts towards addressing major spillage in the Asian region, the PCG said in a press release.
The JCG, meanwhile, “supports the initiative that enhances the Philippines and Indonesia’s operational readiness and capability for oil spill incidents, making the Regional MARPOLEX 2024 an opportunity to share knowledge and latest techniques in maritime safety and marine environmental protection,” it added. | CGC
