Aiding the Nation Against the COVID-19 Pandemic: We Heal as One with the Philippine Coast Guard

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Posted By: PCG News 19-Aug-2020

The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) has stricken a lot of countries globally including the Philippines, affecting people’s welfare, socio-economic condition of the country, and government resilience and thinking on ways to respond to the interconnecting issues brought by this pandemic. This pandemic has led the world to enter into a ‘new normal’ set up under adherence of strict health awareness and hygiene, and physical social distancing. As early as March 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte immediately ordered the security sector composed of AFP, PNP, and PCG to assist the health sector in slowing down the community transmission of the virus through deployments of checkpoints targeting all potential entry and exit points of barangays, and to the borders of the country across all domains (land, sea, and air) under a series of community quarantine classifications.

Maritime domain is seen as one of the vulnerable points of entry for the potential spread of the virus in the country through transport and mobility of people, and goods and services. As in land, seaports also need strict security screening in order to deter any people-to-people and people-to-material infections. In response to the call of the nation to curb the spread of COVID-19, The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) immediately activated its PCG Task Force Laban COVID-19 supporting all screening efforts of the government, not just in maritime but across all domains.

This Task Force is composed of 13 Task Groups from all its Coast Guard Districts to prevent the spread of the increasing cases of individuals infected by COVID-19 in various areas in the country. To instill effective implementation of government strategies, the Task Force employed interagency cooperation with the participation of the Philippine National Police – Maritime Group (PNP-MG), Joint Task Force – Armed Forces of the Philippines (JTF-AFP) and the Philippine Navy (PN) to man the Water Cluster. The main goal of the PCG Task Force is to ensure that all areas with a declared “No Sail Policy” for all passenger vessels and other water conveyances carrying passengers are strictly implemented.

To supplement and augment the operational efforts of the PCG as a Task Force, the PCG deployed its ships and other floating assets to support the transporting of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), face masks, gloves and other medical supplies following the declaration of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), in Luzon area from 14-March-2020 up to the extension of community quarantine as of 06-June-2020. During the start of ECQ in Luzon and provinces nationwide until the community quarantine was lightened on 06-June-2020, the PCG conducted 10,001 Seaborne Patrol Operations, and 38,387 Coastal Security and Quarantine Protocols to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. This was part of its task in the Water Cluster of National Task Force Laban COVID-19. Further, as part of the compliance to Republic Act No. 11469 “Bayanihan to Heal as One Act,” the PCG led and exerted the following interagency efforts nationwide, both in the health and social relief aspects:

  • Transported 3,297 frontliners/health workers from 18 March to 06-June-2020 as augmentation through the DOTr’s “Libreng Sakay” initiative;
  • Assisted 121 patients from 24 March to 06-June-2020;
  • Assisted in the distribution of relief goods nationwide from 03 April to 06-June-2020 aiding 64,448 beneficiaries;
  • Inspected 127,600 vessels from 24 March to 06-June-2020;
  • Provided augmentation of personnel for the repacking of relief goods of DSWD and security assistance to DSWD during the distribution of cash assistance in selected areas;
  • Distributed Ready to Use Supplemental Food (RUSF) and vitamins to fishermen and residents to coastal areas;
  • Delivered medical supplies to its units valued at PhP 14,798,236 from 03 April to 06-June-2020;
  • Conducted 47,646 seaborne patrol operations at waters off the thirteen (13) Districts;
  • Coordinated with Shipping Companies for the accommodation of foreign nationals stranded as well as transport of PPEs and medical supplies to selected areas around the country.
  • Proactive efforts have been set and implemented by the PCG to ensure that COVID-19 would be contained and eradicated at the soonest possible time, through the cooperation of public and private sectors, as well as the general public.

Through the initiative of the PCG Command, a recall of all nurses and medical technologists of the armed service was launched to compose the creation of 100 Deployable Response Units where eight-man teams would be deployed to different areas in Luzon. As a result, the PCG performed medical screening of 565,929 vessel crewmembers and fishermen from 30 March to 06-June-2020; conducted blood screening tests for 6,239 PCG personnel for antibody levels (IgM & IgG) from 31 March to 06-June-2020 (said number was also reported to the STG for the Repatriation of OFWs); and rendered screening of 227,882 truck drivers/helpers entering ports from 08 April to 06-June-2020.

The PCG also utilized its 47 PCG vessels, along with MMOV and MCS vessels from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) manned by PCG; and hundreds of PCG watercrafts and mobility with more than 2,220 personnel deployed to 622 seaports across the country. These augmentation efforts assisted other agencies in manning the 283 Quarantine Control Points within the Area of Responsibility (AOR) of its 13 PCG Districts for the strict implementation of Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon and other provinces within the country, as well as provided logistical support to other government agencies and LGUs.

Not just on its materiel augmentation, the PCG is and has been the country’s frontline to national emergencies, together with the Joint Task Force, Armed Forces of the Philippines (JTF-AFP), Philippine National Police-Maritime Group (PNP-MG) and Philippine Navy (PN) comprising the Task Force to prevent the drastic spread of the COVID 19 in the Water Cluster. Aside from floating assets, the PCG also added the deployment of its aerial assets to include PCG Islander 151 and PCG Helicopter CGH-1452 assisting the NDRRMC, the Office of the President, and other public and private institutions to lift various PPEs and other medical supplies to selected areas nationwide. In addition to its tasks for the prevention of COVID-19, the PCG deployed five (5) PCG and MCS vessels to ensure strict Implementation of the Philippine-Malaysia border lockdown to prevent entry of people (unauthorized or not allowed) from Sabah to the ZamBaSulTa (Zamboanga-Basilan-Sulu-Tawi-Tawi) areas. The PCG Task Force LABAN COVID-19 through its 13 Task Groups from its Coast Guard Districts inspected and documented the vessels and watercrafts in different ports and waterways, and conducted health protocols for all the ship and watercraft crew to prevent the spread of COVID-19 disease. Moreover, same efforts from 13 CG Districts conducted 47,646 seaborne patrol operations within Philippine waters.

While Filipinos in the country have felt the unconventional magnitude of COVID-19’s impact on their daily lives under this new normal time, a higher impetus has stricken the welfare of our modern heroes -our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), especially their dreams for their families. The trans-border impact of the pandemic has displaced OFWs around the world toward unemployment and uncertainty, which led them to fly back to their motherland. In order to cater to the influx of returning OFWs and Filipinos, the PCG was tasked by the DOTr, which activated the Task Group Bayanihan OFW, to commit its maximum manpower and resources and actively provide the workforce of the Sub-Task Group (STG) for the Repatriation of OFWs and to ensure the strict implementation of the mandatory 14-days facility quarantine for all returning/repatriated OFWs, whether sea-based or land-based. This initiative was launched in close coordination with other member agencies of the STG to ensure these returning OFWs are not carriers of the COVID-19 virus, considering the majority of OFWs were coming from countries that suffered from the virus. This is one of the Philippine government’s adoptions of safety measures to protect its communities and populace from possible contagion of the COVID 19 coming from overseas.

Due to the development of policies as recommended by the Philippine Government’s Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), protocols were changed from 14-day mandatory quarantine to the conduct of Reverse Ttranscription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test to ensure that OFWs would indeed and accurately be negative from COVID-19 contamination and with reduced agony from having to stay at quarantine facilities for a long period of time so as to return to their respective homes as soon as they are cleared from the virus.

With the new development, the chairmanship of STG for the Repatriation of OFWs from the DOTr was then delegated to the PCG with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) as the co-chair in cooperation and collaboration with the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ), Department Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and other government agencies. The coordination with the respective manning agencies, facilitated the repatriation of OFWs by conducting swab test/ RT-PCR test, assisting and providing transport vehicles for our OFWs from airport or seaports to temporary quarantine facilities/hotels, until they return to their respective homes after being declared virus-free. As of 06-June-2020, an overall 46,729 RT-PCR tests were conducted where 42,414 of these were repatriated OFWs and the remaining 4,315 involved Non-OFWs, PCG personnel, and other government agencies.

Lastly, also as part of its augmentation efforts, in coordination with 2GO Shipping Company, PCG led the repatriation of Filipino seafarers to ensure their security and safety after they were sheltered at the two (2) quarantine ships, M/V St. John Paul II and M/V St. Anthony de Padua that docked at Pier 15, Port Area, Manila. The PCG provided support and security personnel onboard the two ships to assist the crewmembers in enforcing quarantine measures to OFWs. The vessesls could cater to 1,500 patients each. The two 2GO vessels catered to 686 patients until 01-June-2020 before both vessels resumed operations to transport OFWs who were declared negative from COVID-19. These two (2) ships were part of the Detect-and-Isolate Policy where the first quarantine ship dedicated to and utilized by persons under investigation (PUI) or Suspected cases, while the second ship was utilized as a temporary facility for persons under monitoring (PUM) or the Probable case of individuals who have traveled to COVID-19 affected countries, and/or those who show symptoms, but have no history of exposure. Moreover, the PCG was also tasked to oversee the regular disinfection of ships, as well as the sufficient delivery of provisions such as medical supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE), medicines, food, and other necessities.

Added to the operationalization of the Detect-and-Isolate Policy, the PCG has supervised the operations of the constructed COVID-19 Treatment Facility at Pier 15, Port Area, Manila inn coordination and collaboration with the Department of Health (DOH), Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), and Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ). This facility accomodates 357 OFWs as of 06-June-2020, and has 211 cubicles distributed in different zones to accomodate patients with mild, advance, and severe infections for which hospital beds, potable toilets, cargo containers for showers, and open-air dining facilities were likewise provided.

The treatment facility was made possible in cooperation with the 2GO, Asian Terminals Inc (ATI), and the Lopez Group of Companies which donated Php100 million in funding support. In addition, the PCG assisted the DOTr, OWWA, PNP, LGUs, and other concerned government agencies on the transport of Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs) returning to their respective provinces. As of 06-June-2020, the PCG assisted 6,959 LSIs in different Coast Guard Districts as well as supported the government in transporting LSIs through its newest and largest ship, the BRP GABRIELA SILANG (OPV-8301) along with its other 44-meter Multi Role Response Vessels (MRRVs).

While the world is still enveloped in uncertainty brought to our shores by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to instill the spirit of compassion and cooperation that will serve as safeguard for the country’s welfare against degradation and fear. With the PCG and its capabilities in action, the organization assures the nation of its full commitment to ensure the safety of every Filipino while fighting together hand-in-hand, and healing as one nation.