It is known as the Maritime Security Surveillance that was set alongside the Provincial Coast Watch System.
“The purposes are to monitor all activities of sea vessels within the coastal waters of the province and to eventually raise necessary revenues from duties and fees from sea vessel activities,” the governor said.
“With one stone hitting two birds, we also intend to protect our territorial waters from any possible incursion of foreign ships in our exclusive waters,” Ebdane said.
He said that the surveillance system was already in place and monitored Saturday night 35 ships in the Zambales area. Movement, position, gross weight and load of ships from Olongapo City to the town of Sta. Cruz in Zambales can be monitored, the governor said.
“Kung may kargang iligal, halimbawa kontrabando, ay malalaman natin. We can later provide data to our national security agency,” he said.
The system worth $7.5 million was provided free by Xanatus Maritime of Canada. Ebdane said that later the firm can recover the cost through the collection of tariff from the sea vessels that is still in the process of study.
“It is a long-term project beneficial to our province,” he said.
The governor revealed the project during the visit in Masinloc town of 15 foreign journalists belonging to the East– West Center based in Honolulu, Hawaii. The journalists gathered firsthand information on the effect to local fishermen of the conflict in the West Philippines Sea.
