Functions of the Philippine Coast Guard

THE PHILIPPINE Co a s t Guard (PCG) is a civilian law enforcement agency that is attached to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

It is tasked with ( 1) enforcing laws within Philippine waters, ( 2) conducting maritime security operations, (3) safeguarding life and property at sea, and (4) protecting the marine environment and maritime resources.

The PCG used to be a military organization under the Philippine Navy (PN), but was converted to a civilian agency when it was attached to the DOTr instead. That is the reason why some remnants of its military past still linger in the PCG, including the wearing of military uniforms and the adoption of military ranks.

I am very happy about the fact the fourth function of the PCG is very clear, and that there are supposed to be no gray areas whatsoever.

True enough, there are no gray areas, but there are some overlaps with the functions of other civilian agencies, particularly in the case of environmental protection.

As I understand it, the term “Philippine waters” could be interpreted to mean not only the coastal areas, but also the lakes and rivers. Just as an example, it should be the function of the PCGs to protect mangrove trees and forests not only near the seas, but also near the lakes and the rivers.

There is a gray area in the case of mangrove trees. Technically, these trees are not under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and not under the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Ideally, it should be under the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) through the DA, but that is not the case. This is where the PCG can come in to help.

AN INVASION OF ARMY WORMS

I prefer not to point fingers and throw blame in the midst of a national problem, but there is something that I want to clarify first of all, before we proceed with the discussion of this topic.

I want to be clear about the fact that army worms (harabas) are in truth and in fact invasive species, and we failed to detect them when they first arrived, and worst than that, we also failed to stop them when they started spreading.

As a matter of fact, we did not hear any announcements from the government about their arrival, and we only knew about their presence in their country when they started devastating the crops of our farmers.

We also did not hear from the government about how the possible ways that these pests could have been stopped, since science is now telling us that these are controllable.

I do not want to play the game of “I told you so”, and that is why at this early stage, I want to send the message to the government to become more serious and become stricter in finding and eradicating all kinds of invasive species, and that means both flora and fauna, both plants and animals, including invasive marine life of course.

Which agency s hould be responsible in finding and eradicating these invasive species?

I say that the local government units (LGUs) should always take the lead at the local level, supported by the Department of Interior and Local Government, and backed up by DA, the DENR and the Department of Science and Technology./