National Maritime Center opens Exercise alalayan

TO ENSURE readiness and equip knowledge on what to do during threats and emergencies, the National Maritime Center (NMC) formally opened the Inter-Agency Maritime exercise or the Exercise Alalayan 2025 on Friday, May 23, 2025. 

Co-funded by Expertise France and supported by the European Union (EU), the activity was conducted off the coast of Lapu-Lapu City.

Vice Admiral Roy Echeverria, Director of the NMC, said the exercises will greatly help the maritime sector, especially with “real-life challenges,” from foreign vessel intrusion to search and rescue operations.

“We continue enhancing our capability to respond to maritime threats with unity and precision,” Ybañez said.

“This is not just an exercise. It’s our joint commitment to safeguarding the nation’s waters,” he added.

The Alalayan exercise was first conducted in the vicinity waters off Manila Bay in 2023. The second one took place in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, in 2024.

This year, Cebu was chosen to host the activity, where coordinated responses among the NMC, Regional Coordinating Center Central, and other agencies from national and regional levels will be measured.

This is part of determining whether the protocols laid out for maritime threats are correct or need correction and improvement.

Ambassador Massimo Santoro, EU Ambassador to the Philippines, believes that the Philippines has shown its strength in unity to protect its seas.

“The Philippines is setting a powerful example; it’s the flagship country of the IORIS (Indo-Pacific Regional Information Sharing) …The Philippines is demonstrating a firm commitment to addressing the complex challenges of the maritime domain through collaboration and coordination,” he added.

Twenty-four national and local agencies are expected to participate, demonstrating their capacity to respond to maritime threats.

For his part, Vice Admiral Edgar Ybañez, Deputy Commandant for Operations of the Philippine Coast Guard, stated that the Philippines’ waters should be protected since they are often the source of livelihood for Filipinos and provide security for the country.

He believes that due to the abundance of resources in the Philippines’ waters, the threats it faces are also increasing.

“Our oceans are increasingly threatened by transnational crimes, illegal activities, environmental degradation, and encroachment that challenge not only our laws but our very sovereignty.”

He added that through the activity, no country would be alone in combating maritime threats.

“It is a declaration that we are united, we are ready, that we will not waver in our duty to secure our maritime domains for this generation and the next,” Ybañez said.  / ANV