Legacies of the Past: The Philippine Coast Guard,

104 Years in the Making

The oldest and the only humanitarian armed service of the country, the Coast Guard prides itself of rich legacies that can be traced back from its inception in the early years of the twentieth century.

During those times, Coast Guard functions were earlier related principally to the protection of the customs service in safeguarding revenue collections and patrolling the coastlines and harbors performed traditionally by maritime agencies of the world.

When the Americans came in 1898, one of the first steps undertaken by the Military Government was the reopening of the port and customs facilities of Manila. The Insular Government through the Philippine Commission enacted on Oct. 17, 1901 a law creating the Bureau of Coast Guard and Transportation. The Captain of the Port was designated as the bureau director. The bureau was placed under the Department of Commerce and Police.

The lighthouse service was under this bureau. One year after its creation, a coast guard fleet of fifteen steamers built in China and Japan, was acquired. The ships were assigned for the lighthouse service, for inspection trips of top government officials, for transport to Culion, for patrolling against illegal entry of aliens, and also for troop movement of the Philippine Constabulary.

When the Bureau of Coast Guard and Transportation was abolished under Philippine Commission Act No. 1407 on Oct 26 1905, its functions were taken over by the Bureau of Navigation. This bureau was authorized to create a commissioned and enlisted service within the agency, and to adopt its own manual of courts martial patterned after the U.S. Navy.

When the Bureau of Navigation was abolished on Dec. 19, 1913, its property, equipment, personnel, functions and duties were transferred to the Bureau of Customs and the Bureau of Public Works.

During the Commonwealth era, the Bureau of Customs succeeded in maintaining a disciplined and well-trained uniformed service force manning the coast guard cutters and operating the lighthouses. The Bureau of Public Works took care of the construction and repair of lighthouses and port facilities.

In the early years of the Philippine Republic, the Philippine Naval Patrol, which eventually became the Philippine Navy, absorbed some of the coast guard functions. In 1948, the revenue cutter service and the lighthouse service were transferred to the Philippine Naval Patrol. A Coast Guard unit was activated in the Philippine Navy.

But on Aug.6, 1967, Congress enacted a law creating the Philippine Coast Guard as a major unit of the Philippine Navy under a flag officer. It was activated on Oct. 10, 1967 and the coast guard functions of the Bureau of Customs were transferred back to the PCG, with the Board of Marine Inquiry in addition.

In view of the clamor to separate the Coast Guard from the Department of National Defense, Executive Order No. 475 was issued on March 30, 1998 “Transferring the Philippine Coast Guard from the Department of National Defense to the Office of the President…”

The Executive Order provides inter alia that the PCG shall continue to be the agency primarily responsible for the promotion of safety of life and property at sea and the protection of the marine environment as mandated by RA 5173, PD 600, PD 601, PD 602, PD 979, as amended.

Subsequently, after a short transition period, Executive Order No. 477 was issued on April 15, 1998, providing for the transfer of the PCG from the Office of the President to the Department of Transportation and Communications.

The transformation of the PCG into a non-military organization has a tremendous positive impact and far-reaching significance. Its civilian character allows other governments to offer vessels, equipment, technology, services, cooperation and other needed assistance. Something they would not readily offer to a military agency.

A small service doing a big job, the PCG is now recognized as the third uniformed armed service of the Republic, following the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police. The Coast Guard boasts of its time-honored tradition of humanitarian service, always ready to answer the call of duty.

Indeed, after 103 years of dedicated service, the PCG gets even stronger in addressing the challenges of the modern times particularly in the areas of maritime safety, marine environmental protection and maritime security.