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SEAGames gather sea marshals to Iloilo port

By Florence F. Hibionada

Iloilo and nearby Western Visayas provinces play host not only to delegates and officials of the Southeast Asian Games.

Last Friday saw the arrival of the country’s most modern and newest vessel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), here on a mission to take part in the government’s effort to keep watch over the SEAGames.

As such, Iloilo port will be second home to the 20 all-male Coast Guard team on board BRP Ilocos Norte headed by Capt. Danilo Corpuz and Ilonggo Coast Guard official, Capt. Athelo Ybañez. Secondary to their purpose is aimed at having the presence of the Coast Guard felt elsewhere in Region 6.

Valued over P500 million, BRP Ilocos Norte marks its third year of service, equipped with state of the art technology and navigational equipment, manned by the country’s most trained and “new breed of professionals.”

Is Western Visayas much safer then with BRP Ilocos Norte ashore? Capt. Corpuz was most cordial with his reply, “I hope so. We will do everything that we can do.”

And what exactly can they do? Not a warship as Capt. Corpuz pointed out, this 208 tonnage patrol boat has a speed of 24 knots, similar to the fast crafts plying Iloilo-Bacolod and vice versa.

“But we only go 20 knots,” Capt. Corpuz added while saying that foremost of their mission is maritime safety alongside the vessel’s capability of sea rescue, firefighting and emergency response in cases of distress at sea.

From collisions similar to the May 2003 incident that involved Super Ferry 12 and M/V Nicholas in Cavite, to calls for help in times of flooding, oil spills, grounding and pirate attacks, BRP Ilocos Norte stands to be the “911” at sea.

15 enlisted men (women Coast Guard officers have yet to be on the job) take turns in established work schedules as 24-hour watch is being made on the numerous radars and “SOS/mayday gadgets” on board. The “bridge” gathers the ‘hi-tech’ equipment including the most precise in weather condition, worldwide monitoring of distress calls and satellite feeds to and from shore.

Pressed for specifics on BRP Ilocos Norte’s peacekeeping role in the SEAGames, Capt. Corpuz said details will be ironed out in today’s meeting (Monday) with other government agents.

The News Today learned of a pending request made by Capt. Arturo Olivario of the Coast Guard here for said vessel and its crew to stay beyond the SEAGames.

Prior to leaving for Iloilo, BRP Ilocos Norte stayed in Boracay with the two-day initial plan extended to a full week. The group was directed to do so after the Bali bombing happened. En route to the city, Capt. Corpuz said they chanced upon a group of illegal fishers engaged in blast fishing however the violators fled to shallow ground.