US and Philippines joint training to fight hazardous cargo trafficking

In late March, US and Philippine government officials attended a joint training in Manila on fighting the maritime trafficking of hazardous chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) materials. The workshop was hosted by the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and brought together several officers and specialists from key Philippine government agencies, including the Department of Transportation’s Office for Transportation Security, the Philippine Ports Authority, the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, and the Philippine Coast Guard. Participants in the event trained on advanced techniques for identifying and targeting suspicious maritime cargo, contributing to more effective maritime security. Jose Embang Jr., director of the CBRN office at the Philippine Anti-Terrorism Council Program Management Center (ATC-PMC), thanked the US government for its support in helping the Philippines improve its capability to detect and seize illegal shipments of hazardous materials. On his part, Nicholas DeDominici, chief of DTRA at the US Embassy in Manila, reaffirmed the strategic value of the partnership between the US and the Philippines in CBRN policy and legislation, anticipating further engagement with Filipino authorities to strengthen it.