Newly promoted PCG officers take oath

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday administered in Malacañang the oath of office of 29 newly promoted flag rank officers of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

They include two vice admirals, eight rear admirals, and 19 commodores promoted in 2024 and 2025.

Most notable among them are PCG Deputy Commandant for Operations Vice Admiral Edgar Ybañez and Coast Guard Education, Training and Doctrine Command Commander Vice Admiral Charlie Rances.

"Your promotions are not merely steps in your careers — they are steps forward for yourselves, for the Coast Guard, but also for the nation," Marcos said during the ceremony.

"You now wear stars on your shoulders; may these remind you to embrace with humility, to lead with purpose, and to serve with courage," he added.

The chief executive has been consistent in demonstrating his support for the PCG, particularly in its efforts to further strengthen its maritime security initiatives and operational readiness.

He commended the PCG for steadfastly protecting the country's territory and sovereign rights, emphasizing that its presence is most crucial and symbolic in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and committing to push more for the enhancement of its capabilities to better fulfill its duties in the face of geopolitical challenges.

"Perhaps nowhere is your presence more crucial than in the West Philippine Sea. Your continued patrols across the Kalayaan Island Group, the Philippine Rise, and our other maritime zones reaffirm our unwavering commitment to our sovereign rights. The missions are declarations: we will always stand for what is ours, and we will do so with dignity, with integrity, [and] with strength," he said.

"In a time of global instability and rising maritime tensions, we look to you, together with the Philippine Navy and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, to stand the ground in stormy seas and never waver in what is right," he added.