Philippines: JCG convened the inaugural symposium for the servicing of 97-meter MRRVs’ engines.

The Japanese Coast Guard (JCG) held its first workshop for engine maintenance of 97-meter multi-role response vessels (MRRV) in the Philippines on Monday.
The workshop, which is provided under Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), began Monday and will end on March 9.
According to Daisuke Takahashi, team leader of the Mobile Cooperation Team under JCG, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) does not have enough training for engine maintenance.
“I am trying to know how PCG is conducting their maintenance and then after coming back to Japan, me and my colleagues will discuss how to provide the next step to PCG,” Takahashi told The Daily Manila Shimbun in an ambush interview.
“There are many challenges. Foremost of which is that they haven’t received training generally for maintenance. And as also mentioned a while back, the tools that will be used for maintenance are also not complete. Specifically, measuring instruments such as dial gauges ,” he added.
In a separate interview, Lt. Charlie Pasiwat, chief engineer of BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701), said that 16 PCG personnel are participating in the four-day workshop.
“Right now, there are up to 16 participants, including our crew here in the vessel and the crew of the other vessels of the Coast Guard. And then we also have the crew of the repair and maintenance group in the headquarters fleet. Also the ships and engineering office fleet. So that’s the composition of our trainees,” Pasiwat said.
He said more than 10 patrol vessels are not working and are standing by for repair.
“Of the four 56-meter vessels from Australia, only one or two of them are working,” Pasiwat said.
Coast Guard Commander Erwin Tolentino said a maintenance program for vessels was important to ensure that they are at a “high state of readiness”.
“It is important to have a sustained maintenance program for the vessels since when we sail out at sea, it is very important that our vessels are in a high state of readiness. And if eventualities would happen, our group would be able to manage and do the repairs themselves,” Tolentino told reporters.
Pasiwat earlier had a lecture on the maintenance schedule of the equipment of the 97-meter MRRV, from daily to yearly maintenance.
Takahashi and Pasiwat inspected the various features of BRP Teresa Magbanua including the engines and facility management system.
BRP Teresa Magbanua is one of the 97-meter vessels that Japan has recently turned over to the PCG. The other is BRP Melchora Aquino (MRRV-9702). Jaspearl Tan/DMS