House hearing reveals Chinese nationals recruited to PCG auxiliary

Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, Commandant, Philippine Coast Guard. Photo by Arnel Tacson/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) previously recruited Chinese nationals as auxiliary members of the agency but they have since been delisted.

This was revealed by PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan before the House Committee on Transportation’s hearing on Wednesday after Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers asked him about the recruitment issue, which was raised by Senator Francis Tolentino last year.

The Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA) is a voluntary uniformed non-government organization attached to PCG. Members assist the agency in promoting maritime property safety, marine environment protection, and other activities directed by the commandant.

READ: PCG may file case vs auxiliary arm’s chief for unauthorized recruitment

“Can you provide an update on that? Based on my understanding, most of these recruits were Chinese in the ranks of brigadier general, and it seemed that they had overtaken the Coast Guard,” Barbers told Gavan.

“We already went to a process in coordination with relevant intelligence and national security concerned agencies of the government, and in fact, we have already delisted 36 of them (Chinese nationals),” the PCG official answered.

According to Gavan, these foreigners served as the agency’s auxiliary members for about two to three years until they were delisted in December 2023.

“We have checked their compliance with our standard set and found that they did not comply. So we initiated their delisting, and they were delisted,” Gavan disclosed.

READ: PCG may file case vs auxiliary arm’s chief for unauthorized recruitment

The PCG official said the delisted members have failed to secure a national security clearance, among the requirements he imposed on foreign applicants upon assuming his post in October last year.

He added that they were still investigating how these Chinese nationals were recruited or whether they submitted pertinent documents for employment.

Upon hearing this, Barbers suggested the panel look into the PCG members involved in the foreigners’ recruitment process.

He also expressed concern that these Chinese auxiliary members might have served as spies, especially with the ongoing conflict between the country and China.

“We should backtrack who recruited them because in the first place, they have no compliance […] Somebody, somehow, sometime, and somewhere, someone has allowed them to become auxiliary members,” the lawmaker stressed.

‘Volunteers’

In the same hearing, Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez asked Gavan if the foreign recruits were able to obtain an alien employment permit from the Bureau of Immigration or an alien employment permit before the Department of Justice.

If not, Fernandez explained that violations were indeed committed in the Chinese nationals’ hiring process.

Countering this, Gavan clarified that the recruits were, in fact, volunteers, saying that “whether they need to have a work permit is beyond PCG’s purview at this point.”

The PCG official requested an executive session due to the “sensitivity of the matter” after Fernandez raised more questions as to the fact that these recruits were volunteers.