The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) recently cross-trained on life saving and maritime law enforcement procedures during the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOFTP) along Caldera Bay in Zamboanga City.

Lieutenant Commander Armand Balilo, PCG spokesman and deputy chief of staff for community relations, said that in line with the directive of President Benigno S. Aquino III for all government agencies to integrate their efforts and strengthen inter-agency cooperation, the Coast Guard recently had entered into an agreement with the AFP through the 4th Special Forces Battalion of the Philippine Army and JSOFTP for the conduct of joint training on lifesaving and maritime law enforcement.

Balilo noted that the said training formally convened on August 9 involving 15 members of the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the PCG and 15 personnel of the Riverine Unit of the 4th Special Forces Battalion of the Army.

“The Philippine Coast Guard shared their personnel expertise in basic water survival, basic navigation, scuba refresher training, recompression chamber operations, boarding procedures, rules of engagement and legal aspects of maritime law enforcement while our brother in the Army shared their expertise in combat life saving techniques, small unit tactics, marine interdiction operations and basic close quarter combat,” Balilo said.

The Coast Guard spokesman added that the United States (US) contingent who’s also part of the task force also shared their knowledge and skills on underwater demolition and post-blast investigation.