The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and its Japan and US counterparts will possibly have joint patrols, its top official said Wednesday.

In a “Bagong Pilipinas” briefing, PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan said having joint patrols was discussed during their trilateral meeting with the Japan and US Coast Guards but there was no clear timeline.

“That’s one of the things we talked about, but the timeline is not that clear. But Japan, America, and the Philippines have an existing agreement that states that we can have a trilateral exercise. So it’s not impossible, but I can’t really say if we really will have one,” Gavan said.

Gavan also said coast guards of the three allied countries have discussed having more capacity-building activities, including cross-training.

“We also discussed the possibility of them boarding our vessels and we will also board our vessels to patrol the high seas, which are outside our exclusive economic zone (EEZ) which has become an issue because there is a country that wants to board our fishermen’s vessel when they sail in that area,” he said, referring to China.

China recently released a policy that allows their coast guards to detain foreigners whom they consider as trespassing their seas for up to 60 days without trial. This takes effect in June. Jaspearl Tan/DMS