Republic of the Philippines "Sea Marshals" draw interest

The Philippines has a "sea marshal" program which has drawn the attention of some Southeast Asia neighbors like Australia and New Zealand:

THE COUNTRY'S year-old Task Force Sea Marshals, which was put in place after the SuperFerry14 bombing last year, has attracted international attention.

Representatives from the uniformed services of Australia and New Zealand expressed interest in the sea marshal system that the Philippine Coast Guard had implemented to prevent terrorist attacks in port areas, terminals and ships, according to Commodore Wilfredo Tamayo of the PCG's National Capital Region-Central Luzon office.

Tamayo said the representatives met with him last month to inquire about the system and to discuss a possible joint or cross-training of the countries' Coast Guard personnel.

"They saw the relevance of the sea marshals in maritime security," he told the Inquirer. "They wanted to pick whatever is applicable to them. They also offered assistance. (The discussion) was more on the cooperation in the fight against terrorism."

Good to see some international cooperation in this area. The Philippines has a lot of ferries to cover its many islands.