Duties of the Philippine Coast Guard and the Maritime Industry Authority Concerning Operations of Water Transport Facilities

August 12, 1974

LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS NO. 208

Pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 474 dated June 1, 1974, there shall be coordination between the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Maritime Industry Authority (MIA) in the exercise of supervision and regulation of the operations of water transport utilities, and likewise the MIA shall assist in the performance of Coast Guard's functions especially in the classification and inspection of vessels.

The areas of cooperation as well as priority programs are to be considered and implemented:

(1)  There shall be immediate efforts to further improve the Ship Inspection and Classification Work. For this purpose, the following shall be undertaken:

a.  The Ship Inspection Group within the Coast Guard shall be strengthened by staffing it with the required experts and managerial personnel; a new staffing pattern will be agreed upon between the PCG and MIA and such shall be implemented not later than December 31, 1974;

b.  The MIA and PCG shall coordinate in the formulation and execution of training programs for such personnel; casia

c.  Furthermore, MIA an PCG shall implement other institutional changes as shall be identified from time to time.

(2)  MIA shall augment the expenses not otherwise sufficiently provided for in the budget of the Coast Guard for the following: (i) salaries and allowances of provisional staff; (ii) cost of training programs particularly for the Ship Inspection Group; (iii) other items of expenditure directly relevant to the above activities. The Coast Guard shall furnish MIA a budget for these additional expenses.

(3)  In coordination with the Cost Guard, MIA shall maintain a Classification Registry of Vessels. Both parties shall study with the end in view of improving the existing system and procedures for ship survey and classification. cdt

(4)  The Philippine Coast Guard shall publish the New Merchant Marine Regulations as soon as possible to ensure that such Regulations shall be effective not later than January 1, 1975; modifications, changes and amendments to said Regulations shall be undertaken with consultations between PCG and MIA.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 12th day of August, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Seventy-Four. acd