GERMANY has expressed willingness to help the Philippines in tapping the Loss and Damage Fund that aims to address the impact of climate change.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said it has strengthened cooperation with the Federal Republic of Germany on law enforcement and anti-piracy training, as well as person-to-person exchange.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock made the statement during her courtesy call on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday.
According to Baerbock, the Philippines and Germany could strengthen ties to address climate change.
‘’This is also something which we believe can be a next step in our cooperation on the climate issue, even mentioning the loss and damage fund. This is really dear to my heart because I was doing a lot of policy beforehand. We said we have to do something about loss and damage,” Baerbock said.
The German official cited the interest of large German companies in investing in the Philippines’ renewable energy sector.
Baerbock said this would involve discussions on raw materials and skilled labor. ‘’This is really a field where it’s a win-win situation or even a triple win situation for employees, for workers, also for our countries,’’ she added.
President Marcos expressed gratitude to Germany for its willingness to help the Philippines in addressing climate change as he stressed that the country has been a vital partner in this area.
It can be recalled that Environment Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga disclosed that the Philippines has gained a seat on the board of the Loss and Damage Fund.
Marcos earlier said allowing the Philippines to host the Loss and Damage Fund would symbolize inclusivity and will also ensure that the needs of the countries most affected by climate change would be addressed.
PCG Commandant, Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, shared this latest development with local and foreign media partners after the courtesy of Baerbock, at the PCG national headquarters in Port Area, Manila.
“We talk broadly about three things. One is their increasing support for the development of drones for the Philippine Coast Guard. We will also be pursuing more training opportunities to broaden skills the Coast Guard would need. We would also be increasing our person-to-person exchange to further deepen the relationship between Germany and the Philippine Coast Guard,” Gavan shared.
He said the PCG will utilize at least four more drones that Germany will donate to enhance the performance of its mandated functions.
Currently, the PCG uses two drones donated by Germany in 2022, specifically in training Coast Guard Aviation Force pilots.
“We will use it in search and rescue operations so that we can more easily find missing persons or missing vessels. We will use it in marine pollution response. We will also use it in the West Philippine Sea, Benham Rise, in our areas in the South to improve maritime domain awareness, so that operations are more efficient and more targeted.,” Gavan said.
While the Coast Guard Commandant and German Foreign Minister Baerbock did not specifically discuss having joint patrols in the WPS, CG Admiral Gavan said he is not discounting that the PCG and Germany may
want to tackle and pursue this capability building initiative in the future.
“It is important to us that we have big economies with us that give us support so that we can maintain the rules-based peace and order, for the peace of the whole world,” Gavan stressed.