Philippine coastguard hailed as ‘vigilant stewards’ against China - but why no new ships?

The coastguard’s US$537 million budget for next year is mostly allocated for personnel-related expenses

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A China coastguard ship seen from the Philippine coastguard vessel BRP Cabra near Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea in August. Photo: TNS

Published: 8:04pm, 31 Oct 2024Updated: 8:41pm, 31 Oct 2024

The Philippine coastguard (PCG) will not be getting funding to buy new vessels next year despite the president’s promise to strengthen the agency’s capabilities, as it remains at the forefront of defending the country’s sovereignty against Beijing’s assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea.

Addressing the PCG on its 123rd anniversary on October 22, President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr hailed the agency as the “vigilant stewards of peace and order”.

Praising the PCG for defending the Philippines’ maritime borders, Marcos Jnr said the country has “borne witness to foreign vessels sailing in, some carrying the promise of trade, others cloaked in conquest”.

“Be assured you are never alone in carrying the weight of this mission,” Marcos Jnr promised the PCG, without naming China.

“This administration reaffirms its support to efforts that will improve your fleet and our air assets ... to maritime domain awareness, weapons capability, and necessary infrastructure development. This will boost your capacity to respond to any operations,” he added.

His commitment, however, would not be backed by funding for the PCG for next year, with the agency unable to acquire new vessels to patrol the country’s 37 million km coastline.