PCG bids adieu to ‘challenging’ 2023, welcomes 2024 with vision for peace

The year 2023 was a “challenging” period for the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) as it was mainly marked by the aggressive activities it endured and bravely faced from China in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

And so for 2024, the PCG is aspiring that the maritime environment would be more “peaceful” and a rules-based order would prevail, according to PCG Commandant, Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan.

“This year, we have proven that we are professionals, that we would be more patient but very resolute in the way we manage the security requirements in the WPS,” Gavan said in his year-end message.

Despite threats and provocations in WPS, Gavan said the PCG remained undeterred in protecting Filipino fishermen and safeguarding the country’s sovereign rights over its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

He said coast guardians have increased their presence through patrol operations, removed foreign floating barriers, installed additional navigational buoys, assisted in the resupply missions for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and utilized diplomatic and peaceful approaches in the tense waters.

Aside from the challenges posed by China’s presence in the Philippine waters, Gavan said what made 2023 challenging was the need for the organization to manage the people’s expectations.

Diplomacy over war

According to Gavan, some people have urged the PCG to “fight against the Chinese vessels” harassing Filipino vessels right in their own backyard but the Coast Guard Commandant stressed that they always consider the Filipino people’s “best interest.”

“The management of the expectation of the public and the actions that we must make for the grander interest [is challenging]. The public wants us to be aggressive, but at the same time, our grander interest would require us to be more mature and professional,” he explained.

Relatedly, the PCG recognized the significance of forging stronger partnerships with foreign counterparts including the United States, Japan, Australia, Republic of Korea, and Germany among others in developing the PCG and becoming an organization of “world-class guardians of the sea.”

Such collaboration allows the PCG to hold trainings and interoperability exercises on maritime law enforcement, maritime safety, maritime security, maritime search and rescue, and marine environmental protection with other countries.

For 2024, Gavan said that the 30,000-strong PCG will aspire to bring the best version of pubic service to the Filipino people regardless of current and future challenges.

“We will continue to aspire for a more peaceful, more rules-based maritime environment. We would continue to forge partnerships with as many as we can,” he said.

“The PCG is not only a maritime agency in charge of managing the sea but also a tool for national security and development. Rest assured, we will remain present everywhere, always ready to respond to current and future challenges in the maritime sector so that the best public service will always prevail,” Gavan said.

Look back

Looking back at what the PCG went through the passing year, Gavan said that the organization amplified its role as the “vanguard” of maritime safety and maritime law enforcement by modernizing its vessels, air assets, facilities, and equipment, and boosting the capabilities of its human resources.

The PCG inaugurated a new and upgraded Coast Guard Station Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) on Pag-asa Island, it’s biggest outpost in the Spratly’s Islands, on Dec. 1 to better monitor all the local and foreign vessels in the WPS.

Gavan also recalled the massive oil spill that occured following the sinking of MT Princess Empress off Naujan, Oriental Mindoro on Feb. 28.

The incident disrupted the lives and livelihoods of locals in Oriental Mindoro and nearby provinces.

Gavan said the PCG swiftly buckled down to work to lead the oil spill recovery operations which were completed in four months.

As the country’s primary maritime response organization executing the National Maritime Search and Rescue Contingency Plan, the PCG also received, responded to, and coordinated more than 1,200 maritime incident reports in 2023, according to Gavan.

From January to December 2023, Coast Guardians rescued approximately 5,500 individuals nationwide, he added.

The PCG also blocked over 400 illegal maritime activities and engaged in thousands of maritime patrols that ensured the safety and security of the seagoing public, especially during peak seasons through the Department of Transportation (DOTr)’s “Oplan Biyaheng Ayos.”

“The PCG remains firm on its resolve towards responsible governance of our seas — that is, we go after offenders but also render aid to all users of the sea within our maritime zones,” Gavan shared.

Modernization

The PCG’s accomplishments did not go unnoticed as several legislators pushed for the organization’s modernization so it can better serve the public.

Bills were filed at the Congress to increase its budget for Fiscal Year 2024 to P27.1 billion and another P200 million for intelligence activities and ammunition.

During a meeting with the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) on Nov. 9, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved the budget allocation amounting to P29.3 billion for the acquisition of five 97-meter multi-role response vessels (MRRVs) for the PCG under the Maritime Safety Capability Improvement Project (MSCIP) Phase 3.

He shared that Marcos emphasized the need for the PCG’s capability improvement to combat illegal activities and enforce maritime laws in the country’s EEZ.

“With meaningful approval from the NEDA Board, the five-year integrated logistics support would allow us to enhance our maritime security operations, specifically in the West Philippine Sea, Southern Philippines, and Benham Rise,” Gavan noted.