MANILA: The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and its Indian counterpart have boosted their partnership through a four-day oil pollution exercise that ended on Thursday. In an interview over Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon on Wednesday, PCG spokesperson, Rear Admiral Armando Balilo, said the scenario during the exercise was a major oil spill that necessitated the help of nearby countries. The goal of the exercise, he said, was to develop interoperability between the PCG and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG). '[Tinignan din] natin ang best practices na pwede nating makuha sa ICG (We also looked at the best practices that we can learn from the ICG),' Balilo said. The exercise was held during the visit of the ICG's second pollution control vessel Samura Pahererar which arrived in the Port Area, Manila on Monday. The ship is designed for the containment, recovery, and dispersal of oil spills. The visit is the result of a memorandum signed last year that aimed to enhance bilateral cooperation between the two countries. The c ooperation agreement centers on capacity-building, environmental protection, maritime enforcement, maritime security, and maritime search and rescue. Source: Philippines News Agency
