The House Committee on Transportation decided Tuesday (Sept. 1) to consolidate two measures seeking the creation of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Academy.
The House panel, chaired by Samar 1st District Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento gave in to the recommendation of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) that House Bill No. 4161, authored by Tingog Sinirangan partylist Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez, and Majority Leader and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin G. Romualdez, and House Bill No. 7197, filed by Palawan 3rd District Rep. Gil “Kabarangay” A. Acosta Jr., and Palawan 1st District Rep. Franz “Chicoy” E. Alvarez be consolidated into one measure.
“We recommend that the House bills be consolidated as they pertain to the same objective which is the establishment of the Philippine Coast Guard Academy. It cannot be gainsaid that there is a need to address the issue regarding the maritime security,” DILG Undersecretary Ricojudge Echiverri told the panel during its first virtual deliberation on the proposed PCG Academy Act of 2020.
He cited the need to increase and strengthen PCG’s maritime border capabilities in response "to the progressively more complex maritime security environment as well as to use intelligence and surveillance more effectively in coordinating its operation as part of public safety.”
"Accordingly, the subject seeks to resolve issues. In that regard, this level interposes no objection on the subject matter, considering that it will boost the country’s maritime security and internal security at the same time,” Echiverri said.
It was Camarines Sur 3rd District Rep. Gabriel Bordado Jr. who formally moved for the consolidation of the PCG Academy bills.
“Given the various tasks given to the PCG under Republic Act No. 9993, otherwise known as the PCG Act of 2009, and with the peculiarities of its being the premier maritime law enforcement agency in the country, it is imperative that there must be a dedicated educational institution that would specifically cater to the needs of the PCG and maritime law enforcement in general,” the Romualdezes said in their sponsorship speech.
Under House Bill No. 4161, the House leaders proposed that the PCG Academy be accessible to all qualified Filipinos from all over the Philippines.
The Academy shall be established in the 10-hectare land granted to the Coast Guard District Eastern Visayas by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, located in Brgy. Cabalwan, Tacloban City in Leyte, the bill provides.
“The State needs to create the appropriate institutional arrangement in order to establish an effective and well-trained PCG Officers Corps, comparable with that of the Philippine Military Academy and the Philippine National Police Academy, sufficient to carry out the mandated tasks of the PCG under RA No. 9993 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations, as well as, to competently carry out missions as may be given by the Department of Transportation or Department of National Defense during national emergencies or in times of war, respectively,” the Romualdez couple said.
Acosta also urged his colleagues to support their measure that would make the PCG Academy as the overall administrative and operational educational institution in the field of maritime law enforcement and administration in the country.
He said the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) and the Coast Guard Officer’s Course administered by the Coast Guard Officer School are among the institutions which currently are the main sources of Coast Guard Officers.
“However, these institutions could no longer provide the proper training because of inadequate facilities and logistical support,” he said.
Under Acosta’s HB 7197, the proposed Academy shall be established in a 200-hectare land granted to the Coast Guard District Palawan by the local government, located in Brgy. Apurawan, Aborlan, Palawan.
Supporting the measures are the DILG, the PMA, PMMA, and the Department of Transportation.