PH Coast Guard activates new district command in Kalayaan Island Group

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Thursday said it has established a new district command in the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), strengthening its presence in the West Philippine Sea.

PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Rear Adm. Jay Tarriela, said the launch of the Coast Guard District on Pagasa (Thitu) Island is part of the agency’s iCare program, which aims to enhance community assistance, public awareness, transparency, response, and enforcement in the area.

READ: Pag-asa Island soon to have its first Catholic church

The KIG in Palawan encompasses several maritime features in the Spratlys Islands, a region where repeated confrontations with Chinese vessels have occurred amid the West Philippine Sea dispute.

“This milestone strengthens not only maritime governance but also the Philippine Coast Guard’s commitment to holistic service and nation-building in the Kalayaan Island Group,” Tarriela said in a statement.

According to him, the new command upgrades the existing Coast Guard unit in the Kalayaan Islands into a full-fledged major Coast Guard District, to be led by a senior PCG officer with the rank of Coast Guard Commodore.

“[It] ensures command by a mature and experienced leader with a strong strategic understanding of coast guard presence and operations in the area,” he added.

Tarriela said PCG Commandant Adm. Ronnie Gavan also plans to deploy operationally controlled assets to the district, including PCG vessels and aircraft, which will carry out maritime security, search and rescue, and environmental protection tasks.

The establishment of the new command district also involves infrastructure upgrades, including the construction of additional buildings on other occupied maritime features within the KIG.

“The district will likewise receive enhanced logistical support and increased operational funding to carry out more significant operations across its area of responsibility,” Tarriela said.

Furthermore, with the coast guard unit now upgraded to a major PCG command, Tarriela said the district will be able to deploy officers and non-commissioned personnel from various technical services to help the national government deliver essential services to residents of the Kalayaan Islands.

These services include assisting the Department of Education to address teacher shortages, supporting the Department of Health with medical doctors, nurses, and dentists, and even providing chaplains to meet the community’s spiritual and religious needs, he added.

READ: Marcos: All Kalayaan Island Group features must have Filipino names

The Kalayaan Island Group in the West Philippine Sea is at the center of a maritime dispute between the Philippines and China, after Beijing claimed ownership of much of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, which lies well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

China’s 10-dash line claim has already been invalidated by a July 2016 international tribunal ruling that stemmed from a case filed by Manila in 2013, but the Asian giant continued to deliberately ignore the ruling, consistently encroaching on the Philippines’ EEZ.

Recently, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the adoption of Philippine names for the 131 maritime features in the Kalayaan Island Group to reinforce its sovereignty in the area. /mcm