Who is Vice Admiral Rommel Supangan, the new PCG commandant?

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. formally appointed Vice Admiral Rommel Supangan on Monday as the new commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

Supangan replaces retired Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, who served as the 30th commandant of the PCG.

Before his appointment, Supangan served as the 25th Commander of the PCG Marine Environmental Protection Command (MEPCOM) from February to October 2026.

As MEPCOM commander, Supangan led the group in “expanding its engagements with government agencies, academic institutions, development partners, and maritime stakeholders, while advancing programs that strengthen marine environmental protection across the country,” the agency said.

Supangan also served as Commander of the Coast Guard Fleet from June 2025 to October 2026, and held the following positions within the PCG:

• Director of the Coast Guard Strategic Studies and International Affairs Center
• Commander of the Coast Guard Human Resource Management Command
• Commander of Coast Guard District Palawan
• Acting Commander of Coast Guard District NCR–Central Luzon
• Deputy Commander of the Maritime Safety Services Command

With eight years of shipboard experience, Supangan is a holder of the Coast Guard Command-at-Sea Badge and a recipient of both the PMA Cavalier Award for Coast Guard Operations (Senior Officer Category) and the Coast Guard District Palawan Award.

Supangan previously commanded five Coast Guard commissioned vessels and two Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessels.

The new commandant is a member of the Philippine Military Academy “MARILAG” Class of 1995. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Naval Systems Engineering.

In 2008, he earned his master's degree in Maritime Affairs, majoring in Marine Environment and Ocean Management, from the World Maritime University in Malmö, Sweden, as a Sasakawa Fellow of the Nippon Foundation. —RF, GMA News