On 20 February 2024, the Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG), represented by Prosecutor General (PG) himself, Benedicto A. Malcontento, and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), represented by its Commandant, Coast Guard (CG) Admiral Ronnie Gil L. Gavan, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding on capacity building for the mutual benefit of the two (2) organizations. The signing ceremony was held at the National Headquarters of the PCG in Port Area, Manila, where a side boys honor was rendered to PG Malcontento during his arrival.

The Memorandum embodies the commitment of the OPG to support the capacity development of the PCG investigators through its Special Projects Division and the Task Force on Environmental Crimes, and the counterpart commitment of the PCG to support the training on Waterborne Safety and Security of prosecutors of the OPG and the entire National Prosecution Service (NPS). According to PG Malcontento, the Memorandum was in pursuance of the directive of Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla to the prosecutors to take an active role in the investigation of crimes, particularly during the case build-up stage where they may require, assist or otherwise cooperate with the different law enforcement agencies.

Present during the signing were Senior Deputy State Prosecutor (SDSP) Mariza O. De Los Santos-Jaugan, Chairperson of the Task Force on Anti-Illegal Drugs of the NPS, OIC-SDSP Hazel C. Decena-Valdez, Chairperson of the Special Projects Division, and Deputy State Prosecutor Margaret V. Castillo-Padilla, Chairperson of the Task Force on Environmental Crimes. CG Vice Admiral (VAdm) Rolando Lizor Punzalan Jr., PCG Deputy Commandant for Operations, CG VAdm Allan Victor Dela Vega, Deputy Commandant for Administration, and CG Commodore Allen Dalangin, Deputy Commander, Maritime Security Law Enforcement Command (MARSLEC), and CG Capt. Oliver Tanseco, Commander, CG Investigation Management Service were likewise in attendance.

The signing ceremony was preceded by a meeting between PG Malcontento and CG Commandant Gavan, whereby the two (2) officials discussed how to further strengthen the maritime law enforcement within the archipelagic and internal waters of the country, the safeguarding of life and property at sea, protection of the marine environment and resources, and ensure the filing of airtight cases in court. To do this, the OPG committed to develop a curriculum or training programs tailor fit to the mandate of the PCG and to train PCG’s officials and law enforcement agents in identifying maritime crimes and their elements (i.e. laws on fisheries, forestry, and wildlife, immigration, tariff and customs, firearms and explosives, human trafficking, and dangerous drugs, among others), drafting of pleadings and affidavits, and the proper collection and preservation of evidence, among others. It was agreed that the capacity-building program shall initially focus on training the PCG’s highest-ranking officials to generate the greatest momentum of compliance within the organization. Recognizing the limited resources of the NPS, the PCG committed to shoulder the financial cost of the actual trainings. Moreover, PCG also committed to train prosecutors on waterborne safety and security to reinforce their investigatory and prosecutorial capacities as regards maritime crimes.