MANILA, Philippines -- As part of ongoing U.S.-Philippine cooperation to enhance maritime law enforcement capability, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) instructors conducted a Small Boat Operations course for eight Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) participants in Manila from February 24 to March 6.

“It’s a great exchange of professional knowledge between USCG and PCG. It will further enhance the Surface Support Force capabilities to respond to search and rescue cases,” said PCG Commander Christie Cabuyaban.

The event was the first in a series of “train the trainer” courses that will prepare PCG instructors to manage small boat operations training for PCG in the future. The curriculum covered pre-mission planning, risk management, docking, towing, and navigation. Follow-on courses in this series will further develop the technical skills of PCG instructor-candidates, while introducing PCG student participants as trainees for the instructor development process.

Since 2014, the United States has partnered with the PCG to develop its expanding workforce and establish training programs to sustain operational readiness.

“We really enjoy working with the Philippine Coast Guard. They have great small boat handling skills,” said USCG Machinery Technician First Class Tony Pagador.