THE government will spend P4.8 billion for the acquisition
of five patrol vessels from France
Rear Admiral Luis Tuason, Coast Guard officer-in-charge and
commandant for operations, did not specify the manufacturer and class of
vessels they plan to acquire, but stressed that the vessels will be brand new
and French made.
“The President has ordered the procurement of additional
ships for the Coast Guard,” said Tuason. “We have a forthcoming one unit
82-meter and four 24-meter long brand new patrol vessels from France
Tuason said the funding for the vessels will come from the
Office of the President.
“We have allocation from the Office of the President that
was approved already,” Tuason said. “I’m not sure about the budget but I think
they will come from projects that did not push through and unused funds that
were allotted for Coast Guard vessels.”
He said the four 24-meter vessels are expected to arrive by
December next year while the 82-meter vessel will in 2014. “We’re still
finalizing the papers,” Tuason added.
He said the vessels will be used to patrol the West Philippine Sea .
“When we patrol the West Philippine Sea ,
we encounter huge waves, turbulent waters so it will be better if we will use
bigger ships,” said Tuason.
The Coast Guard is also set to build a support base at the West Philippine Sea to immediately respond to sea
emergencies in the area. The base will be built in Ulugay, Palawan .
At the moment, the Coast Guard has district in Palawan , but it is at the eastern coast of the province.
It is also supported by five stations and 17 detachments.
Apart from being the largest province in the country, Palawan also hosts the Malampaya natural gas project.
“It will be quicker for quick response and law enforcement
activities in the West coast of Palawan ,
especially if there is a problem in the Malampaya or other government projects.
We will have a faster response time. We will also be able to provide shelter in
the area for ships during bad weather,” said Tuason.
“We can easily do that if we are near the western side (of Palawan ),” he said, adding that the government is
expected to give P1.5 billion from Malampaya fund for the upgrade within the
year or next year.
Part of the money will also be used to repair two of their
56-meter vessels and one 35-meter vessel.
What about the 521 million pesos equipment which is the most important to all Coast Guard Stations,Detachment and Districts.It must also be prioritize compose of rubber boats,RHIBS,Aluminum boats,and life jackets it is much important on spread.Also the offer of Japan which is much more important of all the 10 patrol boats.
BalasHapus