Coast Guard personnel expected to exceed 24,000 in 2022

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade. (FILE PHOTO)

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) expects its personnel to grow by over 24,000 in 2022 after new recruits complete their training, the Department of Transportation (DOTr), its parent agency, said in a statement on Wednesday.

The PCG strength is over 22,000 members — 2,636 officers (878 females and 1,758 males) and 19,754 non-officers (2,831 females and 16,923 males).

There are also 221 civilian PCG employees (163 are females and 58 are males), while 1,757 more are expected to finish training this year, bringing the total to 24,368.

The personnel expansion is part of the PCG modernization program, which Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said would further grow to 35,000 in the future.

“The Philippine Coast Guard today has flown high. We started with around 8,000 personnel. Now, we are going to have more than 22,000 members. I expect more. I want the PCG to have more members that’s why I want to have more auxiliaries,” Tugade said.

Tugade said PCG Auxiliaries now have a strength of 19,767. The PCG Regular Auxiliarists are 19,510 and the PCG Executive Auxiliarists are 257, mostly composed of fishermen, boat owners and operators, and community leaders.

Meanwhile, the PCG Commandant, Adm. Artemio M Abu, said that a strong workforce boost the capability of the organization to implement its maritime-related mandates and conduct disaster response operations during calamities and during this COVID-19 pandemic.

“Your Coast Guard today, especially in this time of pandemic and during calamities, is seen anywhere and everywhere. Our men and women are deployed, not only in coastal areas, but also in airports, roads, and other transport hubs to ultimately uphold public health and safety,” Abu said in the same statement.

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