“A large volume of smuggling in the country is done through water and most of this is oil smuggling,” said lawyer Edmund Arugay, PASG director for operation, during the signing with PCG commandant Wilfredo Tamayo at the PCG headquarters.
“We welcome the opportunity to work with the Coast Guard. This is what we lack. With the agreement, the Philippines would be more committed to work hard against smuggling and help us pursue our mandate,” Arugay said.
“The agreement would strengthen our capability unlike before we had no capability to go after smuggling in the high seas,” he added.
For his part, Tamayo said there is need to “intensify patrol in the waters since we have the second-biggest archipelago and the fourth longest coastline after Canada, Russia and Indonesia.”
