Senate bill seeks to fix commandant鈥檚 term to stabilize PCG structure
MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Francis Escudero on Tuesday said the Senate-approved bill seeking to fix the term of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) commandant to three years would ensure stability in the agency’s structure amid tensions in the West Philippine Sea.
Escudero made the pronouncement after the Senate approved House Bill No. 10841 with 21 affirmative votes during Monday’s Session, which effectively aligns a PCG commandant’s term to that of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ chief of staff.
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“Given the situation, we are facing in the West Philippine Sea, it is in our best interest to ensure that we have some level of continuity in the leadership of the PCG, the agency tasked to patrol our territorial waters and secure our shores,” Senate President Francis Escudero said in a statement.
The approval of the bill, said the Senator, provides the current commandant Admiral Ronnie Gavan, “the opportunity to complete his plans and programs for the agency.”
Gavan was only appointed last October 2023 and was set to retire on February 21, 2025, upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56.
Article continues after this advertisementHowever, with the bill underway, Escudero noted that the PCG would be able to continue to take up the reforms it is already doing, especially with the complexities involved in modernization measures.
“This would allow CG Admiral Gavan to continue leading the valiant men and women of the PCG, who have been faced with great adversity in the post-war era and have effectively upheld our sovereignty in our territorial waters,” Escudero said.
