Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - The Philippines and Japan on November 25conducted a joint maritime exercise in waters off the coast of Manila, with thedrills focusing on antipiracy and rescue operations.
Around 200 uniformed personnel from the Philippine and Japan coastguards participated in the drills.
Three patrol ships from the Philippines and one from Japan also tookpart in the exercises, which included firefighting and water spraying drills.
Last March, the Philippines received threesecond-hand TC90 surveillance aircraft from the Japanese Ministry of Defence inan effort to strengthen the naval force’s capacity and stay ready to respond toincreasing maritime challenges and threats.
Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said that thePhilippines is facing a lot of challenges related to maritime security such aspiracy, armed insurgents in the Sulu sea and other transnational crimes,including smuggling of illegal drugs and poaching into rich fishing grounds inthe Philippines’ territorial waters.
Therefore, the planes will definitely boost thenavy’s capability to gather intelligence, he said.
The surveillance planes have a flight range of300 km, doubling the capability of its existing aircraft. The navy said it hasa budget of nearly 6 billion peso (114.65 million USD) to acquire two brand newlong-range maritime patrol aircraft to enhance its intelligence, surveillanceand reconnaissance (ISR) capability.
Japan planned to lease five surveillance planesbut decided last year to transfer without cost the aircraft after changes weremade in Tokyo’s self-defense forces law allowing donation of excess defense andmilitary equipment to partner countries.-VNA
VNA
