PCG workforce to exceed 24,000 this year —DOTr

The Philippine Coast Guard's (PCG) workforce will increase to over 24,000 this year after some 1,757 individuals are expected to complete their training, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Wednesday.

PCG staff currently number over 22,000 comprised of 878 female and 1,758 male officers; 2,831 females and 16,923 male non-officers; and 163 female and 58 are male civilians. The trainees will bring the total to 24,368.

In a statement, Secretary Arthur Tugade said that part of the modernization efforts of the PCG is to achieve a workforce of 35,000 in the coming years.

“I want the PCG to have more members, that’s why I want to have more auxiliaries,” he said.

The DOTr said that complementing the growth of the PCG workforce is the recruitment into the Coast Guard Auxiliary, which is dedicated to upholding and carrying out the PCG’s mission of promoting the safety of life and property at sea, protecting the marine environment, and conducting humanitarian missions and disaster response.

Now totaling 19,767, the PCG Regular Auxiliarists total 19,510 while the PCG Executive Auxiliarists are 257, mostly composed of fishermen, boat owners and operators, and community leaders.

As a part of the Auxiliary Division of the PCG, the DOTr said, co-Auxiliarists are part of nation-building as they are partners in the fight against illegal shore activities.

PCG Commandant Admiral Artemio Abu, meanwhile, said the organization is now more capable of performing its maritime-related mandates and conducting disaster response operations during calamities and amid global health crisis.

“Your Coast Guard today, especially in this time of pandemic and during calamities, is seen anywhere and everywhere. Our men and women are deployed, not only in coastal areas, but also in airports, roads, and other transport hubs to ultimately uphold public health and safety,” Abu said in a statement. — Mel Matthew Doctor/BM, GMA News