INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte — A regional training center of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will soon rise in Ilocos Norte’s capital, city of Laoag.
In a statement on Wednesday (Dec. 21), the PCG said the training center will be built on a 2.5-hectare plot of land in Barangay 32 La Paz.
The deed of usufruct for the use of the lot was signed by the representatives of the city government of Laoag and the PCG District Northwestern Luzon on Tuesday.
Aside from the training center, the Coast Guard sub-station in the city will also be established in the area, according to PCG District Northwestern Luzon commander Commodore Philipps Soria.
Soria said the PCG’s presence in the province plays a “vital role in promoting maritime safety and maritime security and boosting the tourism industry.”
He added that the establishment of the two PCG facilities was aimed at “producing more competitive Coast Guardians who will uphold PCG functions in Ilocos Norte, particularly in Laoag City.”
The PCG is mandated to ensure “maritime safety, maritime security, maritime law enforcement, marine environmental protection, and maritime search and rescue.”