Maritime law enforcement and security in the Sulu and the Celebes Sea has been given a boost after the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) officially handed over new equipment to the PCG districts watching over the region.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the PCG said a total of 40 quick response (QR) code scanners and seven rugged laptops were handed over in a ceremony witnessed by the PCG leadership and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The PCG said one thermal camera will also arrive in October for ZamBaSulTa region composed of Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces.
“The Coast Guard District South Western Mindanao and Coast Guard District Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will utilize the donated equipment as the Districts responsible for safeguarding the ZamBaSulTa region,” the PCG said.
The donated equipment, it said, will “significantly improve” the implementation of the Safety, Security, and Environmental Numbering (SSEN) by providing special identification to each boat, increasing resistance to duplication or tampering, easily detecting illegal boats, and automating the process of accessing boat information.
The ceremony was led by PCG Commandant Admiral George Ursabia Jr. through a virtual handover ceremony entitled “Virtual Handover Ceremony of Security Enhancement Equipment.”
Source: Philippines News Agency
