4 Coast Guard officials promoted to commodore

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has promoted four Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) captains to commodore based on the recommendation of Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade.

Promoted were captains Ramon Lopez, JoevenFabul, Edgar Ybañez and Mitzie Silva-Campo.

Lopez is currently the deputy commander of the Coast Guard Human Resource Management Command.

He hailed from Legazpi City, Albay and was part of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1992.

Lopez graduated from the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmo, Sweden with a major in Integrated Coastal and Ocean Management in 2007.

After accomplishing his assignments aboard Coast Guard vessels, Lopez performed staff duties in the PCG District Southeastern Mindanao and PCG District Central Visayas.

He also served as Station Commander of PCG Stations in Surigaodel Sur, Davao Oriental, Bohol, Southern Leyte and Ormoc.

He also acted as superintendent of the Coast Guard School and Chief of Staff of the Coast Guard Ready Force.

Prior to his present position, Lopez also acted as Deputy Chief of Coast Guard Staff for Human Resource Management (CG-1), Deputy Chief of Coast Guard Staff for Logistics (CG-4), and Deputy Inspector General.

Fabul, who is from Buhi, Camarines Sur, graduated from the PMA in 1992 and earned his Master of Science in Maritime Affairs specializing in Maritime Safety and Environmental Protection at the WMU in 2004.

Before being appointed as commander of the Coast Guard finance service, he served as deputy chief of Coast Guard Staff for Comptrollership (CG-6), Chief of Staff of the Coast Guard Fleet, Commander of the Coast Guard Procurement Service, as well as Commander of PCG Stations in Sorsogon and Butuan City.

He also fulfilled his sea duty experience aboard search and rescue (SAR) vessels, BRP Tirad Pass (SAR-100) and BRP Bessang Pass (SAR-75).

Commodore Ybañez from Quezon City was part of the PMA Class of 1993. He currently serves as District Commander of the PCG District Western Visayas after his assignment as Commander of the PCG District Northeastern Luzon and Deputy Commander of the Coast Guard Surface Support Force.

He also performed various duties at the Coast Guard Marine Environmental Protection Command, Coast Guard Education, Training, and Doctrine Command, and the PCG National Headquarters.

He was assigned as the commander of PCG Stations in Bacolod City, Caticlan and Dumaguit in Aklan, as well as in Basco, Batanes.

He is also a holder of "Command at Sea Badge" for serving as commanding officer of three PCG capital ships.

Meanwhile, Silva-Campo is a native of Digos City, Davao del Sur who earned her master's degree major in Law and Policy at the WMU in 2009.

She is the first female flag rank officer from the Davao region and the entire Mindanao, as well as the first PCG female general line officer to be promoted to commodore.

Silva-Campo is presently the deputy chief of Coast Guard Staff for Maritime Security Services (CG-14).

Before her present assignment, she served as commander of the Coast Guard Internal Audit Service and was designated as the Deputy Chief of Coast Guard Staff for Education and Training.

From March 2016 to June 2019, CG Commodore Silva-Campo was deployed as the country's representative in the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia-Information Sharing Centre, a government international organization based in Singapore.

They will take oath to Tugade next week. Their arrival honors and breaking of personal flags ceremonies will ensue thereafter. (PR)