For the sixth straight year, the Philippines was again chosen to lead a regional body that combats piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia.
Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), was unanimously re-elected as chairperson of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre (ISC) Governing Council. The election occurred during the meeting of the group in Singapore last March 14.
Gavan underscored the importance of preventing piracy, armed robbery as well as maritime kidnapping since 80 percent of all trade around the world happens at sea.
He explained that if cases of piracy, kidnapping and robbery are high, the marine insurance in shipping and transport industry will also increase, affecting the pockets of ship owners and merchants.
“If the insurance goes high, the cost of shipping and prices of goods will also go high. If we address piracy, armed robbery and kidnapping at sea, the economy of the contracting countries and their people will improve, and that includes the Philippines,” Gavan said in a radio interview over DZBB on Sunday, March 17.
Now on his second term, Gavan will serve his post from April 1, 2024 to May 30, 2027. He inherited the chairmanship after the retirement of former PCG chief Artemio Abu in 2023, who had been elected as the council chairperson for a three-year term in 2021.
Top PCG leaders had also been elected to the same post since 2018.
Gavan said that his election underscored the PCG's leadership in an esteemed international platform, and showcased the Philippines’ commitment to maritime security and cooperation.
The ReCAAP was established in 2004 to address the unabated occurrence of maritime piracy incidents in Asia in the late 1990s, which affected the flow of maritime trade and disrupted supply chains.
It has become the first and only regional government-to-government agreement to promote and enhance cooperation to suppress piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia.
Meanwhile, the ReCAAP ISC was formed two years later to engage the “Contracting Parties”, shipping industry and international partners in its endeavor to prevent maritime incidents involving merchantmen and crew.
Currently, there are 21 contracting parties of Re-CAAP including Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Denmark, Germany, India, Japan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, the Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States of America, and Vietnam.