VZCZCXRO1905
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHML #2258/01 1840755
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 030755Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY MANILA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7265
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS IMMEDIATE
RUEAWJA/DOJ WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RHHMUNA/CDRUSPACOM HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 002258 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR S/CT AND INL/AAE BARCLAY AND BOULDIN 
USPACOM ALSO FOR SOCPAC SOJ3X 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER PINS PREL ASEC PBTS SNAR RP
SUBJECT: RENEWED REQUEST FOR INL FUNDING FOR MARITIME 
POLICE UNIT 
 
REF: A. E-MAIL BARCLAY/JONES 4/30/07 
     ¶B. STATE 24249 
     ¶C. 06 MANILA 3789 
 
¶1.  (U) This is an action request - see para 10. 
 
¶2.  (U) Summary. After thorough review by all involved 
agencies and consultations with the Philippine National 
Police (PNP), Embassy would like to renew its $2 million 
funding request from FY2005 funds of the Bureau for 
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) to 
improve the capabilities of the PNP's Maritime Group (ref c). 
The funds would establish a six-boat unit to interdict the 
transit of narcotics, terrorists, trafficking victims, and 
contraband through the northern edge of the Sulu Sea, off the 
coast of Palawan, an island on the western border of the 
Philippines.  The unit, based in Puerto Princesa, on the 
eastern coast of Palawan, would also help protect the 
Malampaya Natural Gas Project, a $4.5 billion dollar facility 
that provides some 30 percent of the Philippines' power 
needs, and numerous high-end tourist resorts frequented by 
U.S. and other foreign tourists.  The PNP leadership has 
indicated its full support for the project, and its 
willingness to sign a Letter of Agreement on its own 
operational funding obligations upon notification that we are 
prepared to fund the project.  Embassy's Law Enforcement 
Working Group has reviewed INL's concerns (ref b) and offers 
information below to address these issues.  End Summary. 
 
--------------- 
POST PRIORITIES 
--------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Embassy highly appreciates the close scrutiny that 
INL has given to ref c request and the series of concerns INL 
raised.  Upon full reflection, deliberations within our Law 
Enforcement Working Group, and discussions with the PNP 
leadership, Embassy continues to believe that the maritime 
police unit (MPU) is the best use of these FY 2005 funds. 
The MPU would actively complement our Mission priorities to 
fight terrorism, smuggling, and trafficking in persons by 
helping to modernize the PNP.  (The 2005 Philippine-U.S. 
Joint Law Enforcement Assessment also noted that an infusion 
of resources could significantly improve the ability of the 
PNP MPU to combat terrorism, narcotics, and other smuggling, 
and trafficking in persons.)  Additionally, the establishment 
of the MPU project would provide a platform from which the 
INL-funded Model Police Station project could expand into 
Puerto Princesa, enhancing the implementation of the PNP 
Transformation Plan. 
 
-------------- 
INFRASTRUCTURE 
-------------- 
 
¶4.  (U) The requested $2 million would be sufficient to 
purchase six boats and related equipment, as well as fund a 
contract maritime police advisor for one year.  However, that 
sum would indeed be insufficient to provide for necessary 
infrastructure construction, such as dockside and dry-dock 
facilities, including boat ramps.  JIATF-West representatives 
have confirmed that this agency is prepared to build several 
boat houses, ramps, training facilities, and firing ranges in 
Puerto Princesa, upon INL approval of the project. 
 
----------- 
MAINTENANCE 
----------- 
 
¶5.  (U) Long-term maintenance will remain a major issue, 
since, without proper maintenance of the boats, they would 
quickly fall into disrepair.  Until the PNP could fully take 
over the maintenance of the boats, JIATF-West and U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are willing to utilize 
their small boat maintenance and repair teams to provide 
training on preventive maintenance to the MPU and to provide 
some maintenance during the first year of the program.  (In 
FY08, JIATF-West already plans two maintenance missions.) 
The projected boats are the same type already in use in a 
similar program in Indonesia, resulting in interoperability 
and standard training packages for preventive maintenance by 
USG agencies, including JIATF-West, Special Operations 
Command Pacific (SOCPAC), and ICITAP. 
 
 
MANILA 00002258  002 OF 002 
 
 
-------- 
TRAINING 
-------- 
 
¶6.  (U) While the proposal already includes funding for a 
one-year contract maritime police advisor who would provide 
general project management, interagency coordination, and 
general law enforcement training, it is true that there is no 
"stream of funds" for long-term training to achieve full 
implementation of the MPU.  However, SOCPAC representatives 
at Embassy have confirmed that SOCPAC has agreed to provide 
up to two SOCPAC personnel to advise and assist the MPU, 
stationed with the MPU for staggered six-month rotations 
(ensuring continuity through three-month overlap).  SOCPAC's 
commitment is to a long-term engagement, and SOCPAC has also 
offered to provide focused Joint Combined Exercise Training 
for the MPU. 
 
¶7.  (U) The maritime police advisor would likely report to 
the INL-funded Senior Law Enforcement Advisor in Manila, who 
has significant contact with ICITAP in Indonesia and can 
leverage that relationship to provide opportunities for joint 
training and joint operations between the MPU and the 
Indonesian National Police maritime unit.  In addition, 
ICITAP has already established a training structure in the 
Philippines for instructor development to enable the MPU to 
address its own training needs in the future.  Finally, the 
Legal Attache at Post has offered to provide FBI training and 
assistance on topics such as sensitive site 
exploitation/crime scene search and processing, evidence 
processing and documentation, and processing of suspects in 
custody. 
 
------------------- 
OPERATIONAL SUPPORT 
------------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) The Senior Law Enforcement Advisor and poloff have 
discussed potential PNP obligations for various operational 
costs, notably fuel.  PNP Deputy Director General Avelino 
Razon, who oversees the PNP Transformation Plan and who is 
most likely to succeed Director General Calderon upon 
retirement later this year, verbally agreed to fund the MPU 
operations and tasked one of his officers with preparing an 
estimate of projected PNP obligations; the total was a 
realistic $436,000 annually.  Razon also indicated that the 
PNP would be willing to sign a Letter of Agreement (LOA) with 
the U.S. Embassy on this obligation upon formal INL approval 
of this project. 
 
----------------- 
LONG TERM SUPPORT 
----------------- 
 
¶9.  (U) Over the longer-term -- unlike the more ambitious 
program in Indonesia -- the MPU should not require additional 
INL funds beyond the initial $2 million investment and would 
therefore not divert resources from the PNP Transformation 
Program.  Other Mission agencies have expressed willingness 
to fund any other necessary expenditures, while PNP will pay 
for the fuel and other operational costs.   Mission does not 
intend to request INL FY 2006 and 2007 funds for the MPU, so 
these would still be available for other law enforcement 
projects in support of the PNP Transformational Plan.  Should 
future funding for the MPU become desirable, Mission intends 
to submit 1208 funding proposals to SOCPAC. 
 
¶10.  (U) Action Request: Please advise if INL is now able 
formally to approve $2 million in FY 2005 funding for the 
maritime police unit. 
 
Visit Embassy Manila's Classified SIPRNET 
website:http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/manila/index. cfm 
You can also access this site through the State Department's 
Classified SIPRNET website: 
http:// www.state.sgov.gov/ 
KENNEY