Australia donates P34M worth of drones to PHL

THE AUSTRALIAN government on Tuesday handed over P34 million worth of drones to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), equipment that could help bolster the Philippines’ maritime awareness capabilities amid growing tensions with China.

Canberra’s coast guard assistance package comprises 20 aerial drones and training for 30 PCG personnel to operate them, Australia’s Ambassador to the Philippines Hae Kyong Yu said during a livestreamed turnover ceremony in Bataan province in northern Philippines.

The drones consist of a mix of short, medium and long-range models.

Ms. Yu said the drones adhere to Australia’s security framework, ensuring minimal “foreign influence risk” in the drones provided to the Philippines.

“Australia is committed to working with our partners to enhance maritime security, uphold international law and manage marine resources,” she told PCG officials and personnel.

“This package will bolster PCG’s maritime domain awareness capabilities and assist in meeting [its] operational demands,” she added.

The PCG serves as the Philippines’ primary agency for asserting its sovereignty in the South China Sea, where it has repeatedly clashed with China over disputed maritime features.

China claims more than 80% of the South China Sea based on a 1940s map, which a United Nations-backed arbitration court voided in 2016 for being illegal.

Manila has been at the forefront of efforts to contest Beijing’s expansive sea claim, organizing joint sails into the South China Sea with western countries while broadening its security alliances with regional allies like Australia and Japan.

“This support further boosts our ability to pursue more precisely, appropriately and sustainably our complex rights and obligations from being both a maritime and archipelagic country,” PCG Commandant Ronnie Gil L. Gavan said at the event. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio