An all-female class graduated from the first-ever Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)’s radio operator course in Pasay City on Friday, June 25.

Dubbed as “Angels of the Sea,” the 81 female graduates of the radio operators course were employed during the district-level training in Basilan Strait and Sibutu Passage in June 2018.

PCG Vice Admiral Leopoldo Laroya, deputy commandant for operations, said the female operators were deployed to “temper seafarers’ anxieties' at the height of piracy and kidnapping off the waters of MIndanao.

“The command recognizes the evolving unique importance of having female radio operators aboard PCG vessels and shore-based units, especially in communicating with foreign ships, so as not to elevate tension. We want our ‘Angels of the Sea’ to become the voice of peaceful and rules-based order at sea, especially in our country's sensitive maritime frontiers,” Laroya said.

The PCG vice admiral lauded the female graduates for accepting the challenge and honing their communication skills in preparation for their deployment aboard vessels.

He bared that some of the newly graduates are assigned to aboard patrol ships in the PCG’s “Task Force Pagsasanay,” which were on rotational training exercises in the different country’s maritime areas, including the West Philippine Sea.

Laroya said the all-female radio operators course is one of the initiatives of the PCG to provide equal opportunities to all members in protecting the country’s vast waters.

“We want all women in the Coast Guard service to be able to develop their sense of self-worth and give them their right to influence social change. We hope this course served its purpose of minimizing gender discrimination and highlighting the important role of women in public service," he added.