March 4, 2015 –
Manila — As part of the continuing partnership between the United States and
the Philippines to secure maritime borders and facilitate trade, U.S. Embassy
Manila coordinated a program between the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and the
Philippines Coast Guard (PCG). Personnel from the USCG conducted training with
their PCG counterparts in Cebu and Iloilo from January 12 to February 6.
Twenty-seven PCG officers and staff participated in an outboard motor
maintenance course designed to keep PCG vessels operating at peak
performance.
Funding for these training sessions was provided by the U.S. Department of
State’s Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) Program, which is also
supporting a planned USCG/PCG training on small boat operations in May. In
addition, EXBS plans to fund several PCG officers and staff to participate in
training courses this year at the USCG Academy.
The EXBS Program is designed to help countries develop and improve their
strategic trade and related border control systems. EXBS provides a wide range
of technical assistance, from executive exchanges to training workshops to the
provision of detection equipment and specialized training for border control and
enforcement agencies. In the Philippines, EXBS invests some $600,000 (PHP
26,439,300) annually to support a wide range of activities with Philippine
partners.