Philippine Coast Guard commandant Admiral Gil Gavan (left) and Philippine Ports Authority general manager Atty. Jay Santiago (center) unveil the marker of the PPA-PCG K9 Academy in Mabalacat, Pampanga on Wednesday.  PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF PPA
BUSINESS

PPA turns over K9 Academy to Coast Guard

The PPA-PCG K-9 Academy trains dogs for search and rescue, bomb detection and fugitive apprehension

TDT

The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) officially turned over the K-9 Academy to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Wednesday.

The unveiling of the PPA-PCG K-9 Academy —located in a 10-hectare land in Barangay Dolores, Mabalacat, Pampanga — was part of the port agency’s 50th anniversary celebration this year.

The K9 Academy provides top-notch training, breeding and care for security dogs.

Supporting PPA, PCG and other agencies, it produces K9 units for search and rescue, bomb detection, and fugitive apprehension.

“This facility, which has been the subject of talks since 2019, is already operational and ready to train the K-9 unit of the PCG. It can also train dogs from the private sector,” said PPA general manager Atty. Jay Daniel Santiago during the unveiling of the building.

He added that the Academy provides uniform and standardized K-9 training and services to ensure security among the country’s ports, including land transport terminals, train stations and airports.

Aside from the PPA-PCG Academy, other projects completed by the PPA for its #LimaPosaLimampu 50th anniversary celebration are the Law Enforcement Building in Port of Currimao, expansion of Balanacan Port in Marinduque, construction of the Tubigon Port Passenger Terminal Building and creation of a cruise ship port in Dapa, Surigao del Norte.