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National Coast Watch Center: A Look at the country’s Maritime Inter-Agency Set-Up

Maritime domain awareness (MDA) is defined by the International Maritime Organization as the effective understanding of anything associated with the maritime domain that could impact the security, safety, economy, or environment. The maritime domain is defined as all areas and things of, on, under, relating to, adjacent to, or bordering on a sea, ocean, or other navigable waterway, including all maritime-related activities, infrastructure, people, cargo, and vessels and other conveyances.

We received the following article by Ely Loyd A. Villarosa, currently the Senior Intelligence Analyst of the Philippines’ National Coast Watch Center: The article is about the Philippines’ National Coast Watch Center, the only government agency that caters inter-agency mechanisms for maritime security operations.  The NCWC was funded by the US government through the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

In 2011, then-President Benigno S. Aquino III signed Executive Order No. 57 creating the National Coast Watch System as the central inter-agency mechanism for a coordinated and coherent approach on maritime issues and maritime security operations towards enhancing governance in the Philippines’ maritime domain.  One of its organs is the National Coast Watch Center, the implementing and operating arm of the System.