To state that President Rodrigo Duterte is only taking care
of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police
(PNP) is downright wrong.
The underperforming Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has been
slowly being put in its own spotlight, since the President took his oath of
office- though not at the same breadth as those of the AFP and PNP.
The tense situation in the South China Sea was the catalyst
that made the Philippines for the modernization of the AFP and the PCG, not
because we ought to but we MUST. *
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| The Philippine Coast Guard (photo credit to ManilaLivewire) |
The maritime industry is intricately intertwined with maritime
diplomacy for the country consisting of more than 7 thousand islands.
There is a very good article written by Mr. Jay Tristan
Tarriela for the Diplomat.com, we want to share this to the greater public to
know what and where is the Phil Coast Guard under the Duterte administration.
Please read his article below which was published last
January 4, 2018, we have fully quoted in the Diplomat.com.
During one of the
presidential debates in 2016 election, then-Davao City Mayor Rodrigo
Duterte claimed that if he were elected, he would ask the Philippine
Navy to bring him to the South China Sea, then ride a jet ski, and plant
the Philippine flag on one of China’s reclaimed islands. Yet after
his inauguration, he sought closer economic ties with China, leaving many
diplomats confused about his maritime strategy toward the South China Sea
row.
But one thing had been
clear in the past months: Duterte is building up the Philippine Coast Guard
(PCG) and using it as a primary force in the maritime industry, as well as
a tool for maritime diplomacy.
The major development
break for the PCG in 2017 was jump-started by the approved increase of its
4,000 troop ceiling limit, with an additional 5,000 to be added every year
until 2022 to attain a total target number of 38,000 PCG members. Due to this
personnel increase, Duterte’s allies in the Congress supported the enormous
surge of the Coast Guard’s 2018 budget, raising it from the usual
average of 7 billion pesos to 13 billion ($260 million). Relatedly, the 2018
national budget specified the PCG’s entitlement to receive a massive
increase in its procurement budget from 150 million to 6.7 Billion pesos ($134 million) to upgrade its capability *
However, it is worth
noting that the development of PCG is not primarily driven by its maritime security
role, or specifically its lead role in patrolling the South China Sea. The
Duterte administration recognizes the importance of the PCG not just in this
particular issue but also in addressing multifarious issues in the maritime
sector. As an archipelagic nation, it is essential for the Philippines to have
a uniformed maritime force in a constabulary — not military –role that can
ensure a safe, clean, and secure maritime environment.
Maritime Safety
With tourism
sector is currently regarded as a promising contributor to the
Philippines’ national economy, lawmakers, led by the House speaker,
recognized the PCG’s crucial role in maritime safety to enforce regulations
related to vessel safety and boarding formalities of visiting foreign pleasure
yachts. Such efforts ensure the safety of international tourists. Plus,
since the PCG’s satellite offices are usually adjacent to coastal areas,
they could be developed as a quick reaction force to prevent the
kidnapping of foreigners, as has happened in Palawan and Samal Island.
This possibility catalyzed the legislature’s commitment to
increase PCG personnel and procurement.
Foreign grants through
the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Korean International
Cooperation Agency (KOICA) also support navigational safety through aids to
navigation (ATON) and vessel traffic management systems. The safety of the
archipelagic sea-lanes of the Philippines is not just a domestic concern but an
international one as well, since foreign vessels traverse these maritime
corridors. *
In 2016, there was a
spike in incidences of piracy and kidnapping of seafarers in the southern
Philippines. The PCG, as the Philippine representative at the Regional
Cooperation Against Armed Robbery and Piracy at Sea (RECAAP), was able to
convince the member states not to declare Sibutu passage as comparable to the
waters off Somalia, which would have increased the marine insurance and freight
costs of the roughly 20,000 ships traversing that area each year. Instead,
this international issue was addressed by the PCG in setting up maritime
transit corridors to ensure the safe passage of foreign ships.
Most importantly, the
newly promulgated Department of Transportation “Security, Safety and Environment Numbering (SSEN)” circular
requires that all boats should have the SSEN painted on their side for record
purposes. This will ensure that the boats will not be used for illegal
activities. It is worth emphasizing that these small watercraft often serve as
a getaway ride for kidnapping seafarers. Currently, the whole of Mindanao has
99 percent compliance with SSEN requirement, and the rest of the provinces
in Visayas and Luzon are fast catching up.
Maritime Security
The significance of
the PCG was once again brought into the limelight during the battle in Marawi
City, where PCG personnel significantly contributed to quelling the flow of
illegal firearms and ammunition for the terrorists crossing Lake
Lanao. They fought hand-in-hand with the Navy in the waters of the lake
against the Islamic State-inspired Maute group. As the designated captain
of the ports, the PCG secured all the ports in northern Mindanao to prevent the
terrorists from fleeing the area using commercial ships. As a result,
numerous apprehensions were made by the PCG in various ports against suspected
terrorists. *
With such unequivocal
participation in fighting the terrorists in Mindanao, Duterte has approved the
construction of 31 coast guard radar infrastructures in Mindanao and some areas
in Visayas and Palawan. This will give an advantage to the PCG in monitoring
all suspicious watercraft that traverse the maritime regions of Mindanao and
southern Palawan.
For the first time in
almost two decades of its existence under the supervision of the Department of
Transportation, the PCG will add three coast guard bases in addition to
the inherited structures from the Philippine Navy unit. These additional coast
guard bases are located in Catanduanes, Sibutu, and Zamboanga.
The creation of Coast
Guard Base Catanduanes will serve as a staging area for PCG white ships, which
could immediately be deployed for quick response in the Philippine Rise. Due to
its relative distance to the Philippine Rise — approximately 147 nautical
miles — this coast guard base will also allow for the sustained
presence of a small armada of PCG vessels, since the base could efficiently
meet such a fleet’s logistical requirements.
Meanwhile, the
establishment of a Coast Guard Radar Station in Sibutu Island is the most
feasible approach to strengthen maritime domain awareness within the nearby
vicinity of the Sulu and Celebes Seas. The radar station will be equipped with
a Marine Radar, Automatic Identification System (AIS) Receiver, and Coast Watch
Monitoring System. Similarly, the presence of Coast Guard white ships in the
area can dispel possible pirates and armed sea robbers that intend to
board foreign or domestic vessels.
*
Lastly, the Coast
Guard Base Zamboanga will house all coast guard operating units in southwestern
Mindanao, which are not only specializing in counterterrorism but also in maritime safety
and marine environmental protection.
Maritime Diplomacy
The most notable
contribution of the PCG under Duterte’s administration is its active role in
maritime diplomacy. Last November in Beijing, in fulfillment of the
established Joint Coast Guard Committee on Maritime Cooperation by Philippines and
China, PCG Officer-in-Charge Commodore Joel S. Garcia and China
Coast Guard (CCG) Deputy Director General Chen Yide signed an agreement that
would promote the atmosphere of partnership and cooperation in the South China
Sea. A Hotline Communication Mechanism was established for both parties to
communicate with each other in an approachable and cooperative tone.
Additionally, the Chinese Ministry of Transport through their Maritime Rescue
Coordinating Council will donate radio communications and computer hardware for
live video streaming to be used for search and rescue cooperation between the
two coast guards in the South China Sea.
While Duterte is
presumably inclined toward Beijing, it is notable that Tokyo and Washington are
both using their coast guard organizations to influence and redirect the
Philippines’ maritime strategy. The Japanese government has conveyed its
commitment to delivering two 90-meter coast guard vessels in addition to the
ten 44-meter multi-role response vessels (MRRV), which will soon complete its
delivery in 2018. On the other hand, the U.S. government will be constructing a
$10 million law enforcement facility at the Coast Guard Communication Base in
Bulacan. *
Such support is
not only limited to infrastructure but extends to human resource development as
well. The PCG has sent 40 of its personnel to study at the Coast Guard
School in Yorktown, Virginia, and 20 have traveled to Japan for various JICA
sponsored maritime related training. A similar strategy is gradually being
adopted by China: this year alone, 35 PCG officers underwent maritime law
enforcement training at China Maritime Police Academy in Ningbo, China.
The PCG has also
initiated the first ever ASEAN Coast Guards Forum, which is expected to push
through this coming 2018 in the Philippines. The objective of this maiden
meeting is to establish a regional cooperation to fight universal crimes like
piracy, human smuggling, and drug trafficking without escalating and
militarizing the South China Sea and adjacent seas in the Southeast Asian
region.
Conclusively, the
current administration is not just using the PCG in patrolling the contested
waters of the South China Sea. On the contrary, the build-up of the coast guard
in the Philippines has more domestic overtones than a focus on the West
Philippine Sea/South China Sea issue. Duterte understands that the PCG has more
practical functions on its plate than concentrating its meager resources on
patrolling the vast contested waters. *
Report from DIPLOMAT
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