AFP can regulate use of high-speed watercraft

MANILA, Philippines - In an effort to address terrorism in the waters off Mindanao, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) was empowered by concerned government agencies to regulate the use of high-speed watercraft.

A memorandum of understanding, signed at Camp Aguinaldo on Thursday, also authorized the military to dismantle all illegally constructed ports in order to limit terrorists’ movement and other cross-border crimes, according to AFP public affairs office chief Col. Edgard Arevalo.

Aside from the AFP, the agreement was signed by representatives of the departments of Transportation and Interior and Local Government, Office of Transport Services, Maritime Industry Authority, Philippine Ports Authority, Philippine Coast Guard and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. 

“The agreement will promote and ensure cooperation for maritime safety and security in the archipelagic areas of the ARMM and other critical areas of the country,” Arevalo said.

Despite heightened efforts to address crossborder crimes in the Sulu Sea, the Abu Sayyaf continued to kidnap seafarers, mostly Indonesians and Malaysians.

Under the agreement, the military is now allowed to intercept, board and inspect high-speed watercraft, especially those sailing in the Sulu Sea.

Last month, high-speed boats hidden on an island near Tawi-Tawi were recovered during combined anti-terror operations. 

The boats were believed to be among those used by the bandits in intercepting slow-moving barges passing through Sulu Sea.