16 July 2013 – Philippine Ambassadorto Bahrain Sahid S. Glang (left) paid a call on Sunday, July 14, on Vice Admiral John Miller (center), Commander, US Naval Forces Central Command, US Fifth Fleet, and Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) based in Manama, Bahrain and Commodore Simon Ancona (right), British Royal Navy, and CMF Deputy Commander.

During the call Ambassador Glang personally handed over the letter from the Philippine Embassy informing him that the Philippine government has accepted the invitation for the Philippines to become a full member of the CMF.

The benefits of being a CMF member include, among others, the sharing of information and best practices in the counter-piracy operations in the Somali Basin and Gulf of Aden that always involve Filipino seafarers manning the hijacked vessels in the area. The current Liaison Officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Senior National Representative to the CMF is Navy Capt. Rosauro Sarmiento (not in photo). END