Transportation Secretary Art Tugade has appointed Vice Admiral Eduardo Fabricante as Officer-In-Charge of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) with the retirement of Commandant Admiral Leopoldo Laroya as the 28th PCG Commandant.

Tugade announced the appointment during the change of command and retirement ceremony Friday.

Fabricante is a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1989 and served as Coast Guard deputy commandant for operations.

Tugade commended Laroya for his over 38 years of public and government service. He added that under Laroya’s leadership, the men and women of the PCG have united in the service of the country and of the Filipino people amid the COVID-19 pandemic and calamities.

During his speech, Tugade recognized PCG's sustained COVID-19 response, supporting the whole-of-government efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus in the country. Among these initiatives include the assistance of PCG personnel in the daily operations of the One-Stop-Shops (OSS) at airport terminals.

Tugade also commended the PCG’s calamity response operations, particularly at the height of Typhoon Odette’s onslaught. The PCG not only rendered assistance to affected residents, it also conducted search, rescue, and evacuation operations.

Tugade also recognized the efforts of Laroya in furthering the modernization of the PCG as he continued with the expansion of the Coast Guard's workforce, including the PCG Auxiliary. DOTr-PCG