MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos yesterday reaffirmed his commitment to upgrade the capabilities of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) as he feted its outstanding personnel and units, including vessels that were recently harassed by Chinese ships in the West Philippine Sea.
In a speech during the PCG’s 123rd anniversary in Manila, Marcos recognized the work of coast guard sailors, especially in the WPS, calling them “vigilant stewards of peace and order upon our seas” who ensure that the rule of law prevails in the country’s waters.
“But to do this with the added weight of isolation, the dangers of unpredictable seas and the constant pressure of protecting our resources, then it becomes more than just a job. It is a responsibility that speaks to the core of what it means to serve this country,” the President said.
“In the face of tension, it is your calm resolve that prevents disputes from turning into conflicts, demonstrating to the world that embracing dialogue and cooperation is the true essence of strength,” he added.
Marcos assured the PCG that it is never alone in its task to protect the nation and its people, rights and properties.
“This administration reaffirms its support for efforts that will improve your fleet and our air assets, as well, to maritime domain awareness, weapons capability and necessary infrastructure development. This will boost your capacity to respond to any operations,” he said.
“Be assured that you are never alone in carrying the weight of this mission. Therefore, I enjoin you to work with other concerned agencies in fulfilling your mandate of ensuring the safety of life and property at sea, protecting our environment and enforcing maritime laws,” he added.
At the same event, the Chief Executive led the awarding of 14 outstanding PCG personnel and units, including vessels that were bullied by the Chinese coast guard during their resupply missions in the WPS.
BRP Teresa Magbanua, which was rammed by Chinese ships in the vicinity of Escoda Shoal in August, was recognized as the 97-meter vessel of the year.
BRP Cabra, which was subjected to a water cannon attack in December last year while on a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal, was awarded the 44-meter vessel of the year.
BRP Francisco Dagohoy, which delivered aid to fisherfolk in Pag-asa Island, was honored with the 50-meter vessel of the year award.
Also recognized during the anniversary celebration were the Coast Guard District Palawan as Coast Guard District of the Year, Coast Guard Station Batangas (Coast Guard Station of the Year “A”), Coast Guard Station Malacañang (Coast Guard Station of the Year “B”), Coast Guard Station Cavite (Coast Guard Station of the Year “C”), PO1 Totoh Jailani (Coast Guard non-officer of the year), Marianne Arias (Coast Guard Non-uniformed Personnel of the Year), Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (30 meter-vessel of the year), BRP Boracay (24-meter Vessel of the Year), LK1 Geoffrey Dasas (Coast Guard Lighthouse Keeper of the Year), PCG BN Islander 251 (PCG Aircraft of the Year) and CGAD STL (Best Auxiliary District AU).
First Lady and PCG Auxiliary Vice Admiral Liza Marcos, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista and PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan accompanied Marcos during the awarding.
‘Most significant’
As the PCG turns 123 years old, it has transitioned from being “one of the weakest” to now being one of the “most significant Coast Guards in Southeast Asia.”
In his PCG anniversary speech, Gavan they are now considered as one of the most important Coast Guard agencies in this part of Asia.
“At 123 years, the Philippine Coast Guard has finally arrived. We are now where we envisioned ourselves many years ago – from seeking out the answers to the complex threats of being an archipelagic and maritime nation, we are now able to serve as frontliners in our nation’s organized engagements at sea,” he said.
Considered as the third uniformed armed service, the PCG faced many challenges during the year, especially during the conduct of resupply missions to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal in the WPS, where it often faced a large contingent of Chinese vessels.
Since last year, PCG vessels have been chased, water cannoned, rammed and damaged; its personnel threatened and starved during the conduct of their missions – yet, they stood their ground.
“The past year has been another test of will, perseverance and resilience for the Philippine Coast Guard. The courage, dedication to duty and patriotism that the men and women of the PCG have demonstrated in fulfilling our mandates, particularly in the West Philippine Sea, will be forever etched in the pillars of our history,” Gavan said.
He added that in spite of their limited resources, the PCG was able to effectively perform its mandates.
“More importantly, we continue to be present at the frontline and uphold the integrity of our territory, sovereignty and jurisdiction based on international law, including the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), the Arbitral Award, international conventions and the national law,” Gavan said.
“We were able to maintain peace – through law and with dignity. We have stood our ground calmly and professionally – our nation and the Filipino people have prevailed as what our forebears professed we should be,” he added.
This year’s PCG anniversary carried the theme “PCG@ 123: Matatag, Handa at Maasahan Tungo sa Mapayapa at Mapanatag na Bagong Pilipinas.”
Successful missions
Showing China again that it will not be deterred, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) yesterday reassured the public that the military would continue to protect the country’s interests and has dramatically increased its presence and activities in the WPS.
In fact, the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Air Force (PAF) conducted 62 successful patrol missions “to reinforce the security and sovereignty of our waters” from Oct. 1 to 18.
AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Magareth Padilla said these include two sealift missions, 14 maritime patrols and/or sovereignty patrols, a maritime surveillance patrol, a medical evacuation and two rotation and resupply missions by the military’s naval vessels.
Padilla added that naval and PAF aircraft also executed four maritime air surveillance and/or intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations and 40 maritime patrol missions.
“The Armed Forces of the Philippines remains steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding our nation’s maritime interests, especially in the West Philippine Sea,” she announced at a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo.
“These patrols strengthen our monitoring of activities in the West Philippine Sea while ensuring seamless support for operations like maritime domain awareness, medical evacuation and resupply missions,” Padilla said.
“The Armed Forces of the Philippines stands resolute in its mandate to uphold territorial integrity, maritime sovereignty and regional stability while serving and protecting the interests of all Filipinos,” she added.
Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, Philippine Navy spokesman for the WPS, said the AFP is recalibrating its approach as “we are now focusing on the activities being conducted by the Armed Forces.”
“We are still monitoring the illegal presence of the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) Navy, the (China) Coast Guard and the maritime militia. However, we would like to expand the coverage and to look at trends on a monthly basis, not on a weekly basis,” Trinidad explained, referring to how previous weekly reports on the number of Chinese vessels that have been spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) are no longer being released to the media and the public in general.
He said the recalibration is being conducted pursuant to President Marcos’ directives for the military to shift from internal security to external or territorial defense and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr.’s recent announcement of the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept (CADC).
Trinidad noted there is now an increase in the AFP’s activities in the WPS and more focus is being given to Escoda (Sabina) Shoal and Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc.
“For Escoda Shoal, the presence of the AFP is there. It is not a constant presence that the ship is anchored or not leaving; we have already given more coverage, not only to Escoda, but also to Bajo de Masinloc by different means, physical presence or by other monitoring means,” he said.
He added that “the overall picture is that after the pronouncement by the secretary of national defense that we will be instituting a comprehensive archipelagic defense concept, the AFP recalibrated its approach in the West Philippine Sea.
“A lot, I would say majority, if not all, of the strategic assets of the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Air Force are now geared toward protecting, securing and monitoring all the way up to our EEZ, that includes the West Philippine Sea. So yes, there has been a dramatic increase in our activities in the West Philippine Sea after the pronouncement of (Secretary Teodoro),” Trinidad said.
He added that there also has been no untoward incidents or cases of harassment in the WPS coming from Chinese vessels on the part of the AFP since June 17, but stressed that the continuing presence of PLAN, CCG and maritime militia vessels inside the country’s EEZ is still illegal. — Evelyn Macairan, Michael Punongbayan, Pia Lee-brago, Neil Jayson Servallos