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Featured image is the signing of the DOST-PCG pact on July 4, 2022 at PCG National Headquarters at Port Area, Manila. Putting ink to paper are DOST-PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Enrico Paringit (left) and PCG Commandant Admiral Artemio Abu. Witnessing the signing are (from left) PCIEERD Project Manager Eng’r. Elisa Santos-Pagdato; Chief Nonilo Peña; Communications, Electronics, and Information System Command (CGWCEISC) Rear Admiral Allan Victor T. Dela Vega; Deputy Commander Arnaldo M. Lim, and Chief of Staff Captain Maricor S. Soliva. (Images credit: PCIEERD)
DOST News
By EDD K. USMAN | @edd1819 | @bluestar0910 | SDN — Science and Digital News
Short link: https://wp.me/paaccn-k6P
(SDN) — Various maritime challenges, on security being one of the biggest, are being faced by the Philippines, an archipelago of over 7,600 islands.
According to The Diplomat (thediplomat.com), the Philippines is facing threats that include “maritime terrorism, maritime disputes, transnational crimes, illegal fishing” as well as many other maritime security threats. This, even with “significant decrease of recorded maritime piracy, kidnapping and armed robbery incidents within Philippine waters in the last four years.”
While still many things have to be done by the Philippine government to substantially address the myriad of threats and issues that include environmental response, help, hopefully, is on the way.
On July 4, 2022, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through its Innovation Council, the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD), and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the guardian of the country’s waters, forged a pact aimed at addressing these maritime challenges.
PCIEERD, in a statement, identified some of what it described as “growing challenges in safe maritime transport, cleaner seas, and maritime defense and jurisdiction of the Philippines.”
PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Enrico “Eric” C. Paringit and PCG Commandant Admiral Artemio M. Abu signed their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the PCG National Headquarters in Port Area, Manila, Metro Manila.
Also present at the signing ceremony were PCIEERD Energy and Utilities Systems Technology Development Division (ETDD) Chief Eng’r. Nonilo A. Peña, and PCG Commander for Coast Guard Weapons, Communications, Electronics, and Information System Command (CGWCEISC) Rear Admiral Allan Victor T. Dela Vega, among other witnesses and guests.
The PCIEERD chief cites the importance of the partnership
“With the rapid advancement in science and technology, this partnership with PCG is critical toward securing and improving our maritime capability, at the same time, asserting our rights to our territorial waters,” Paringit said.
“This cooperation will center on the crafting of programs, projects, and policies for maritime peace and security based on the National R&D Agenda and S&T Intervention Plan not only to support the defense missions of PCG and protect our people against threats and disputes in the seas but also to provide safe and efficient maritime transport systems and services through S&T (science and technology) utilization and applications,” he added.
Paringit did not mention the competing ownership issue on the West Philippine Sea, or South China Sea, which is being claimed by the Chinese government as part of its long-time territorial waters.
The DOST Innovation Council said the PCIEERD-PCG partnership is aimed at establishing and developing “a cooperation to address the growing challenges in the country’s maritime sector, with science and technology providing relevant interventions and solutions.”
PCIEERD added that through the MOU the two parties will create a joint committee composed of three members from the Innovation Council and three from PCG who will lead the crafting of framework for scientific and technical cooperation and collaboration and other aspects of research and development (R&D), and acquisition through technology transfer and development of local technologies with the objective of strengthening the country’s maritime defense and security capabilities.
The two government agencies’ collaboration will specifically cover R&D program and project conceptualization and implementation; joint research; trainings and conferences; human resources and information exchange; facilities sharing and development; joint and sponsored publications; national and international networking and exchange programs; product and service testing and certification, and other related activities.
Paringit is hopeful that more partnerships among government agencies will follow suit “to fully maximize the potential of science, technology, and innovation (STI) in the country.”
It can be noted that this is not the first time that PCIEERD and PCG has a working relationship.
In recent years the two government agencies collaborated for the PortEC Research Project or SAILS, which was a two-year research program that also included the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, Quezon City, UP Manila, Bicol University, University of Immaculate Conception, and Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA).
SAILS/PortEC research output was for the use of PCG and MARINA to implement a policy on Ballast Water Management Convention (BMWC) and Anti-Fouling Systems Convention (AFC) in the maritime jurisdiction of the Philippines. (✓)