Marcos names new Coast Guard chief

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has designated Vice Admiral Rommel Supangan as the new chief of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), replacing Retired Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan.

Supangan graduated from the Philippine Military Academy as a member of the Marilag Class of 1995, Palace press officer and Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said.

He finished his Master of Science in Maritime Affairs, major in Marine Environment and Ocean Management at the World Maritime University in Sweden in 2008.

He also held several posts at the PCG, including Marine Environmental Protection Command of the PCG from February to October 2026; Commander, Coast Guard Fleet of the PCG from June 2025 to October 20266; and Acting Director, Coast Guard Strategic Studies and International Affairs Center of the PCG from June 2025 to February 2026.

“He was awarded the PMA Cavalier Award for Coast Guard Operations, Senior Officer Category, and Coast Guard District Palawan Award of Commandant, PCG, Unit Citation, among others,” she said in the briefing.

During the Change of Command ceremony in Port Area, Manila, on Monday, Supangan presented four strategic pillars that will guide his leadership.

Vice Admiral Supangan identified (1) institutional transformation and good governance, (2) effective maritime governance, (3) modernization and capacity building, and (4) strategic partnerships and cooperation as his four core priorities.

Under the first pillar, Institutionalizing Transformation and Good Governance, the PCG Commandant seeks to strengthen institutional accountability and transparency across Coast Guard units while sustaining organizational reforms.

The second pillar, Strengthening Effective Maritime Governance, emphasizes the PCG’s role in safeguarding the Philippines’ maritime interests.

“The PCG’s sovereign patrols, particularly in the West Philippine Sea, will support the whole-of-government approach to assert our sovereignty and sovereign rights. We will stand on what is ours, and we will do so with dignity, integrity, and absolute resolve,” Vice Admiral Supangan said.