MANILA, Philippines. (16 October 2019) – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) held yesterday the opening ceremony of the five-day Kamandag Exercise 2019 dubbed as “Kaagapay ng mga Mandirigma ng Dagat” at the National Headquarters PCG.

Said exercise aims to promote multinational military interoperability, readiness and capabilities and to strengthen international partnerships for immediate response to crises throughout the Indo-Pacific Region, increasing counter terrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capabilities through military exchanges.

One of the highlights of the said activity will be the Vessel Board Search and Seizure (VBSS) Workshop which will be participated by the Philippine National Police Maritime Group, PCG, Philippine Navy-Marine Reconnaissance Group, and the United States Marine Corps.

The Commander of Coast Guard Special Operations Force, Captain Edgardo T Hernando PCG expressed his sincerest remarks in his speech “The choice to collectively and consistently maintain excellent military relations is a choice to preserve and promote the security and economic prosperity of all nations”.