Drones sought for shore watch

MANILA, Philippines - The Maritime Group (MG) is requesting the Philippine National Police to procure camera drones for monitoring illegal activities in the country’s shorelines.

MG spokesman Nelson Ventura said Director Lazarus Vargas has submitted a proposal for the procurement of five drones initially, principally to monitor some Mindanao areas known as hotbeds for smuggling, human trafficking and kidnapping.

“Drones are very important in our operation because we don’t need to deploy as many watercraft for patrol,” Ventura added.

Ideally, the drones will have to be equipped with high-resolution cameras for monitoring and surveillance operations. Once an illegal activity is seen, Ventura said the MG operatives and local police would then be deployed to the site.

Ventura added that while they really need small aircraft for aerial patrol and surveillance, the drones would also be able to perform an equally reliable job.

The MG has only 100 floating assets, including six brand new gunboats donated by the US government, when the ideal number is 1,000 boats.