Coast Guard chief can’t wait to retire

Philippine Coast Guard commandant Adm. Rodolfo Isorena intends to file for “early” retirement in order to spend “stress-free” time with his family.

In an interview with reporters, Isorena said he was due to retire on Oct. 26 but he asked that it be moved forward to Oct. 2.

“I want to rest, I’ve been through so much stress,” he said.

He said the last straw was the kidnapping of two of his men— SN2 Gringo Villaruz and SN1 Rod Alain Pagaling—by the extremist Abu Sayyaf group in Zamboanga del Norte in May.

But the recovery of Villaruz and Pagaling last Wednesday in Sulu after they managed to escape from their captors during a military operation to rescue them has somewhat boosted his spirits.

“I’m very happy they are safe; I will be leaving without unfinished business,” Isorena said.

“I no longer want to work 24/7. It’s very stressful, especially when you are sleeping at night and then your phone rings during the wee hours. Most likely something bad happened, it means there was an accident. It’s very stressful,” he said.

“Actually, during my incumbency, it was very smooth, except for a few unfortunate incidents like the sinking of the MB Kim Nirvana because of excess passengers,” he said, referring to the sea mishap in Ormoc City last month which left more than 60 people dead.

He expressed confidence in the next PCG chief’s ability to handle the affairs of the agency well, including the major events scheduled in the coming months like the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meetings.

Asked if he planned to run for public office after retiring, Isorena said: “Tatakbo ako sa (I will run at) UP…[Running for public office] never occurred to me. Kung galit ka sa akin, patakbuhin mo ako (If you’ve got something against me, ask me to run).”