The Federal Republic of Germany donated two unmanned aerial vehicles to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

The unmanned aircraft was accepted by PCG Commandant Admiral Artemio Abu at the national headquarters in Port Area on Thursday.

Abu conveyed his sincere appreciation to the German government represented by Ambassador Anke Reiffenstuel and the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) Country Director Immanuel Gebhardt for its continued support to the PCG's capability development.

"We recognized the emerging importance of unmanned systems in the performance of coast guard functions. More than its contribution to maritime surveillance for drug interdiction, illegal fishing operations, marine pollution and other nefarious activities, these UAVs can improve PCG disaster response and relief operations particularly in damage assessment and in identifying areas where relief operations are badly needed," he said.

"The UAVs will also be utilized to provide imagery for reconnaissance purposes and generate high - resolution maps that can be used for a variety of maritime scenarios, such as rapid damage assessment of an oil spill incident or a quick survey of an area of interest for possible unlawful acts at sea," he added.

As he expressed his gratitude to the German government, Abu noted that he is looking forward to a stronger partnership with their German counterparts.

"For these, the PCG and the whole Filipino nation are truly grateful to the German government. We are looking forward to our continued engagement and fostering a stronger partnership with our German friends," said Abu. Robina Asido/DMS