The Philippines is preparing to give its coastguard more responsibilities in the contested South China Sea even as the agency faces a more basic problem: whether it has enough ships, aircraft and personnel to carry them out.
The proposed overhaul comes as the coastguard is being stretched by increasingly demanding operations around Philippine-claimed waters, while funding constraints threaten to limit its ability to keep its existing assets at sea.
That tension is evident in the 2027 budget. The coastguard has sought funding for more vessels, unmanned systems, stations and personnel, while key allocations for patrols, intelligence and ship maintenance face cuts.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) currently has a fleet of about 40 vessels, according to Coast Guard chief Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, who said in June that the agency planned to add more than 40 vessels over the following five years.