Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. and US Embassy Chargé d’affaires John C. Law recently signed the Philippine-United States agreement on Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue (AMSAR).
The AMSAR accord aims to further strengthen Philippine-US bilateral cooperation in the fields of maritime and aeronautical search and rescue and enhance both countries’ effectiveness in assisting persons, vessels, aircraft or other craft in distress.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Department of Foreign Affairs, with support from the Philippine Coast Guard, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, the National Coast Watch Center, and the Department of National Defense, formally negotiated the AMSAR agreement in 2018.
Locsin said the signing of the agreement stands as proof of the Philippines’ commitment to upholding its obligations under international conventions and treaties, at the same time that it helps boost the Philippines’ capability to conduct search and rescue operations and save lives.
The signing was witnessed by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, who was in Manila for a visit, and Vice Admiral Eduardo D. Fabricante of the Philippine Coast Guard.