The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) named Commodore Algier Ricafrente as its new spokesperson on Friday, Sept. 27, succeeding Rear Adm. Armando Balilo who is retiring on Sept. 30 after completing his mandatory service of 30 years.
Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan presided over the turnover of duties and responsibilities ceremony at the PCG headquarters in Port Area, Manila. It was graced by Balilo's spouse, Rizzalyn.
In the same ceremony, Ricafrente was also appointed as the acting director of the Coast Guard Public Affairs Service (CGPAS), and concurrently also holds the Office of the Deputy Chief of Coast Guard Staff for International Affairs, CG-5.
Meanwhile, Balilo was the PCG spokesperson since 2003 and served 19 coast guard commandants. He also served as the commander of the Coast Guard Civil Relations Service (CGCRS).
In his speech, Balilo expressed gratitude to the public, especially the men and women of the Coast Guard media who supported the Command’s information operations to expand public awareness on its plans, policies, and operations.
“Tuwing may insidente sa dagat o bagyo na tumatama sa bansa, laging nandyan ang Coast Guard Public Affairs Service para maibahagi sa ating mga kababayan sa tulong ng media ang pinakahuling kaganapan at aksyon ng pamahalaan, para matulungan ang mga apektadong Pilipino (Every time a maritime accident or typhoon hits the country, the Coast Guard Public Affairs Service is there to share to the public through the help of the media the latest happenings and actions by the government to help affected Filipinos),” he said.
He said that the advent of technology has helped the CGPAS – the PCG’s command function tasked to build and maintain relationships among the community, elected officials and media through mass media, internal information and community engagement – to reach out to a wider audience.
Particularly, he said the use of social media has shaped how the CGPAS was able to serve the public notably during the breakout of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Dahil sa pandemya, mas lumawak ang kahalagahan ng platform na ito hindi lamang sa amin, kung hindi para sa lahat ng mga taong nangangailangan ng impormasyon sa araw-araw. Kaagapay natin ang social media para malaman ang kaganapan sa bansa at sa buong mundo kaya ginamit ng Coast Guard Public Affairs Service ang oportunidad na ito para palakasin ang presensya ng PCG (Because of the pandemic, the importance of this platform has been amplified not only for us but for all the people who need information every day. We use social media to be aware of the happenings in our country and in the world so the Coast Guard Public Affairs Service used this opportunity to bolster the presence of the PCG),” Balilo said.
Balilo also urged the public to warmly welcome Ricafrente as the new Coast Guard spokesperson and continue to support the PCG in the fulfillment of its mandated functions.
“I hope that this turnover ceremony will further ignite our desire to transform the nation through stories that are truthful, useful, and worthy of dissemination. Let us keep on strengthening our relationship as we work towards providing better service to the Filipino nation,” the former PCG spokesperson concluded.