DOTC starts bid to acquire P521-M equipment for PCG

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has started the acquisition of search and rescue equipment to augment the capabilities of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) using an allotted budget of P521 million.

The DOTC has put out a notice of public bidding for the procurement of 300 units of aluminum V-shaped hull boats, 81 units of rigid hull inflatable boats, and 50 rubber boats.

The public bidding also includes an order for 862 VHF handheld marine type radios; 862 units of operators’ life vests with survival kit; 6 jetski units; 2,586 common life vests; 431 megaphone units, and 1,724 flare units.

Transportation Secretary Manuel Roxas II said the PCG will be able to conduct immediate sea emergency response with the equipment.

Roxas earlier said that an audit of the emergency response capabilities of the PCG led to the discovery that many of the Coast Guard districts, detachments and stations throughout the country do not have even one single rubber boat, and other vital equipment needed to conduct search and rescue activities.

He said only eight of the 12 PCG districts have boats.

“There are 63 Coast Guard stations all over the country, only 16 have a boat. This means that 47 have not even a simple rubber boat to go around,” Roxas said, adding that the PCG also has 37 detachments with no boats.

“This was the sad state of affairs (at the PCG) when we came in so we will correct this,” he said.

PCG maintains 12 districts, 63 stations, and 237 detachments that monitor and protect a total of 36,289 km of coastline and 1,830 square km of water nationwide.

However, the current inventory of 63 rescue boats is insufficient to fulfill its role as guardian of Philippine waters and coastlines.

Roxas said the procurement will ensure that each of the 237 detachments will have at least one Aluminum V-Shaped Hull with the corresponding set of rescue equipment and all 63 stations will have at least one Aluminum V-Shaped Hull and one rigid hull inflatable boat.

“With the purchase of the new rubber boats, it is expected that our travelers on our sea lanes will be at an average distance of 5 kilometers to the nearest rubber boat station, a great improvement from the present 50 kilometers,” he said. – With Lawrence Agcaoili