COULD THE PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD DO MORE ENVIRONMENTAL POLICE DUTIES?

 COULD THE PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD DO MORE ENVIRONMENTAL POLICE DUTIES?


The short answer is yes. The longer—and more interesting—answer is that the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is already doing environmental police work, but it can, and probably should, do much more.


I ask this question not to criticize the PCG, but to stress a point: if an agency is already capable and already halfway there, why not finish the job?


At present, environmental law enforcement at sea is a shared and sometimes awkward arrangement. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), which is under the Department of Agriculture, focuses mainly on fisheries production and protection. It sets the rules—such as bans on catching undersized fish, egg-bearing lobsters, and berried crabs under the Fisheries Code (RA 8550, as amended)—but it does not have full police powers of its own. As a result, BFAR often calls on the PCG to help enforce these laws at sea.


To its credit, that arrangement works reasonably well. PCG patrols, boards vessels, seizes illegal catch, and apprehends violators, while BFAR handles the technical and prosecutorial side. But it is still a workaround, not a system designed for efficiency.

This is why I believe it would not hurt—indeed it would help—to directly and explicitly empower the PCG with broader environmental police duties. And if our lawmakers are feeling bold, they could also consider granting limited environmental police powers to BFAR itself.


Yes, that would mean duplication of functions. And yes, I really do mean that as a good thing. When it comes to protecting the environment, duplication is not necessarily a waste of resources. It can mean redundancy, faster response, and fewer excuses. We already accept this logic in disaster response and national security; why not apply it to environmental protection, especially in a country with one of the world’s richest—and most abused—marine ecosystems?


I would even go further and say that the Philippine National Police Maritime Group (PNP-MG) could also be formally tasked with environmental police functions. Imagine a three-way triangulation among the PCG, PNP-MG, and BFAR. With clear rules and coordination, that kind of overlap could overwhelm violators instead of overwhelming the law-abiding agencies with paperwork and jurisdictional debates.


This becomes even more compelling when we consider that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is chronically short of personnel, especially for enforcement in seas, rivers, and lakes. The DENR cannot be everywhere—and clearly, it isn’t. A reinforced maritime enforcement triangle could fill that gap.


Another underappreciated strength of the PCG is its Auxiliary. The Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA) is composed of trained private-sector volunteers who act as force multipliers. In environmental monitoring and reporting—oil slicks, illegal dumping, destructive fishing—this volunteer network could be invaluable.


Legally, the PCG already has a strong foundation. Under Republic Act No. 9993, it has five core mandates: maritime safety, maritime security, search and rescue, marine environmental protection, and maritime law enforcement. Its Marine Environmental Protection Command handles pollution control and oil spill response, while its law enforcement units already apprehend illegal fishers and smugglers, often in coordination with BFAR.


The issue, then, is not authority in principle, but emphasis in practice. Environmental protection still tends to be reactive—responding to spills and violations after the damage is done—rather than proactive.


Other countries offer useful lessons. In the United States, for example, fisheries enforcement is led by NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, with the U.S. Coast Guard acting as the primary at-sea enforcement arm. Multiple layers of authority exist, but they reinforce rather than paralyze each other.


We are an archipelagic nation. Our food security, coastal livelihoods, and disaster resilience all depend on healthy seas. If that reality justifies a stronger coast guard, it should also justify a stronger, more assertive environmental police presence at sea.

So yes, the Philippine Coast Guard can do more. The real question is whether we, through our laws and priorities, will allow—and require—it to do so.


RAMON IKE V. SENERES

www.facebook.com/ike.seneres iseneres@yahoo.com senseneres.blogspot.com 09088877282/03-15-2027

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