Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) troops, led by Deputy Commander Col. Arwel Oropesa, were sent to headquarters Western Command (WESCOM) in Camp Gen. Artemio Ricarte, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, to undergo Capacity Building Training on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLoS) from 13 to 15 August 2018.

The three-day training, which was participated in by both NOLCOM and WESCOM officers, was for the men to gain a common understanding of the concept stipulated in the UNCLoS as well as Maritime Affairs and Laws.

The training also intended to raise strategic awareness on how military commanders and staff conduct operational plans within the country’s vast maritime domain, particularly the West Philippine Sea and Other Territorial Waters.

The event was initiated by the National Coast Watch Council under the Office of the President, headed by Undersecretary Jose Luis M. Alano, the executive director of National Coast Watch Secretariat (NCWS).

Topics discussed were understanding the UNCLoS, defining the rights and responsibilities of nations with respect to their use of the world’s oceans, establishing guidelines and management of marine natural resources.

Participants were made to understand this internationally accepted law of the sea, which may affect the naval and maritime law enforcement operations being conducted by both NOLCOM and WESCOM units within the bounds of the different maritime zones.

Guest speakers from the academe (Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, University of the Philippines Law Center and the Asian Center of UP), the Legal Staff of the Department of Justice and from the NCWS comprised the pool of lecturers for this event.

Previously, NOLCOM units also engaged in maritime fora and dialogues to inform the local officials and educate the people living in the coastal municipalities on government initiatives and thrusts in dealing with the latest maritime issues.