A decision has finally been reached on the construction of ten new patrol boats for the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), initially announced in 2012, after an announcement by the Department of Transport and Communications on April 20 that the contract be awarded to Japan Maritime United (JMU).
The contract, worth PHP8.8 billion (US$200 million), falls under the country’s Maritime Safety Capability Improvement Project. Acquisition of the ten boats comes under the aegis of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme, Tokyo’s foreign aid arm. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is providing a PHP7.37 billion loan for the deal, with the Philippines