Coast Guard chief retires on April 18

MANILA, Philippines –  Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo, who is retiring on April 18, four days ahead of his 56th birthday on April 22, will submit a list of his possible replacements to Transportation and Communications Secretary Jose de Jesus next week.

There are 15 contenders for Tamayo’s replacement. Under the rules, all PCG officials with the minimum rank of commodore can be candidates for commandant.

President Aquino would appoint Tamayo’s successor.

Front runners to the position are: PCG Vice Commandant for Operations Ramon Liwag, Vice-Commandant for Administration and acting Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Edmund Tan, and PCG National Capital Region-Central Luzon (NCR-CL) district commander Commodore Luis Tuason Jr.

All of them are graduates of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA). Liwag is from Class 1979, Tan from Class 1980, while Tuason is from Class 1983.

Liwag, if he gets appointed as commandant, would serve for less than nine months because he would reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 by January 2012.

Tan is due to retire in 2013 while Tuason has four to five years left in the service.

Tamayo was appointed acting PCG commandant on May 31, 2008 and formally became commandant on June 16, 2008.

His three-year term was marked by multiple sea tragedies and natural disasters, including the sinking of the M/V Princess of the Stars, which was the biggest ship that ever sailed on domestic waters; the capsizing of the SuperFerry 9, and the collision of fishing vessel M/V Anatalia and passenger vessel Catalyn B.

The PCG also engaged in search and rescue operations brought by destructive storms “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” in 2009. Tamayo is an original member of the PMA Class 1977 but graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) in 1979 with a baccalaureate degree in Civil Engineering.