PCG: All coast, no guard

MANILA, Philippines - “All coast, no guard.”This has become the running joke in the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), which protects the country’s coastline, one of the five longest in the world.

PCG commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said they have less than 6,000 personnel to guard 36,000 kilometers of coastline nationwide. The ideal is one guard per kilometer of coastline.

Around 25,000 out of 42,000 barangays in the country are in coastal areas.

Tamayo said they are especially short-handed when they conduct search and rescue operations during storms.

He said they have been appealing to the government for a long time to allow them to increase their personnel but have not been permitted to do so.

“If we already lack personnel, this should be offset by adequate equipment in order to cover a wide area,” he said.

The other countries with the longest coastlines are Russia, Canada, Indonesia and the United States.

Japan’s coastline, he said, measures only 34,000 kilometers, but it has 12,500 personnel covering it. They also have 500 vessels at their disposal.

The PCG, on the other hand, only has 56 vessels and five helicopters. These are four 56-meter vessels, four units of 35-meter vessels, one tugboat, 33 small watercraft and 14 vessels owned by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). It also has five Islander helicopters.

Aside from conducting maritime search and rescue, the Coast Guard enforces laws against human trafficking, smuggling, piracy and terrorism in Philippine coasts and coastal waters. It also monitors the environmental condition of coastlines.