DESPITE the renewed call of President Bongbong Marcos to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to sustain efforts in protecting the country’s maritime territory, the uniformed service’s ‘special branch’ seemed more eager on cruising back and forth the 25-2 kilometer stretch of the Pasig River.
For one, the recent events in the South China Sea (SCS) with all certainty require the PCG to be more vigilant against Chinese poachers in the West Philippine Sea.
While President Marcos admits that the PCG’s primary role is in search and rescue and patrolling the boundaries, it is also equally important for the coast guards to respond to the call of times especially after the “many duties that once belonged to the Philippine Navy have been transferred to the PCG.”
Why the need for PCG to focus on WPS, at least for the time being? The reason for this is very simple. By doing so, the Philippines does not elevate tensions by putting units and assets of the Philippine military into the area.
PCG ships per se are not military vessels commonly referred to as gray ships which connotes a confrontational mode.
To clarify, there's nothing wrong with the recent agreement (with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority) for which the PCG will assume the role of ferry operator.
There’s nothing wrong with ensuring safety of the river bus commuters, in the same manner that there’s nothing wrong with the idea of decongesting roads.
However, these roles are not part of the PCG mandate. It’s MMDA’s job.
If there’s one aspect which badly requires the coast guard, it’s at the West Philippine Sea where poachers are harvesting billion-dollar worth of maritime resources, while shooing away Filipino fishermen relying on their livelihood from the sea. And of course, in saving lives by rescuing people embroiled in maritime incidents.
Leave traffic decongestion to the MMDA.
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