PCG activates Auxiliary District in Kalayaan Island Group

MANILA — The Philippines on Wednesday activated the Coast Guard Auxiliary District in the heavily contested Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), boosting the Coast Guard’s presence and coordination with residents and local authorities in the area.

Philippine Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan led the activation ceremony, as well as the donning and oath-taking of new members of the auxiliary group, on Philippine-held Pag-asa Island.

The new Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary members were led by Kalayaan Municipal Mayor Beltzasar “Billy” Alindogan, along with teachers, members of the local disaster council, and other officials of the Kalayaan local government unit.

“The activation of the Auxiliary District here in Pag-asa means that the civilians of Kalayaan now stand shoulder to shoulder with your Coast Guard. Volunteerism is not only about responding to emergencies; it is also about showing the world that Filipinos live here, serve here, and will continue to protect what is rightfully ours,” Gavan said.

The Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), a cluster of islands and other maritime features in the Spratly Islands administered by the Philippines as part of Palawan, has been a frequent site of confrontations involving Chinese vessels amid the West Philippine Sea dispute.

During his visit, Gavan also awarded and recognized PCG personnel who responded to the suspected blast fishing incident near Pag-asa Island on October 4.

The incident happened near Sandy Cays 2 and 3, about three nautical miles west of Pag-asa Island, within the territorial sea of the Philippines. The China Coast Guard interfered with and blocked the apprehension attempt.

“What you did last Sunday was a routine law enforcement operation, but you carried it out under conditions that were anything but routine. You showed that the Philippine Coast Guard will not abandon its duty to protect our marine resources, even under intimidation,” the Commandant told the awardees.