NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE
s. No. 1673
Senate
o( tljf feocretarp
23 JAN 12 P5-49
RECEIVED BVi
Introduced by Senator MARK A. VILLAR
AN ACT
TO ESTABLISH THE PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD ACADEMY, ALLOCATING 
FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Philippines is known as one of the largest maritime nation. Composed of 
7,641 islands, the country has a rich source of marine resources. Protection of the 
Philippine's maritime trade therefore is necessary to sustain its socio economic 
development.
In order to secure our maritime trade, it is vital to protect maritime trade 
from any internal and external threat. This is the role of the Philippine Coast Guard 
as it is mandated and responsible among others to perform maritime safety, 
maritime environmental protection and maritime security.
It is the humble position of this representation that we can only ensure the 
economic development of this country if its maritime resources is secured and free 
from any danger. For this purpose, there is a need to further strengthen the 
Philippine Coast Guard and ensure its capability to deliver its mandate by increasing 
its manpower and enhancing its technical, operational and legal capability for 
Maritime Law Enforcement.
To achieve this purpose, this bill seeks to establish a Philippine Coast Guard 
Academy for the training of selected candidates for permanent commission as 
officers in the PCG Corps of Officers. The said Academy shall provide programs and 
courses specific to the need of the PCG in order to produce qualified individuals that 
are able not only to continue, but to further enhance, the great service of the 
incumbent and past PCG corps.
In view hereof, immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.
MARK A. VILLAR


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
)
S. No.
SENATE
1673
Senate
of tijc 
f VftiU'P
23 JAN 12 P5S0
WECElVtDB^.
Introduced by Senator MARK A. VILLAR
AN ACT
TO ESTABLISH THE PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD ACADEMY, ALLOCATING 
FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
1 
Section 1. Short Tide. — This Act shall be known as the "Philippine Coast
2 
Guard (PCG) Academy Act of 2023".
3 
Sec. 2, Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared a policy of the State to
4 
promote welfare and modernization of the PCG, geared towards the enhancement of
5 
the Service, by ensuring adequate and professional Officer that will perform the
6 
multifarious tasks and functions of the PCG .
7 
The State shall create the appropriate institutional arrangement in order to
8 
establish an effective and well-trained PCG Officers Corps., comparable with the
9 
Philippine Military Academy and the Philippine National Police Academy, sufficient to
10 
carry out the mandated tasks of the PCG under Republic Act No. 9993, otherwise
11 
known as the PCG Law of 2009, and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR),
12 
and to competently carry out missions given by the Department of Transportations
13 
(DOTr) or the Department of National Defense (DND) during national emergencies
14 
or in times of war, respectively.
15 
Sec. 3. The PCG Academy. - There shall be established a PCG training
16 
school, to be named as the PCG Academy for the training of selected candidates for


1 
permanent commission as officers in the PCG Corps of Officers, in an area with the
2 
following minimum requirements:
3 
a) An area with at least twenty (20) hectares of land;
4 
b) Adjacent or in close proximity to a ship dock; and
5 
c) Adjacent or in close proximity to a hospital.
6 
The PCG academy shall be an independent and distinct unit of the PCG,
7 
however, it shall follow and adopt the doctrines and principles on the customs and
8 
tradition developed by the Coast Guard Education and Training Command for the
9 
Coast Guard Services.
10 
Sec. 4. Facilities. -The arms, ammunition, and all training equipment needed
11 
by the cadets for their practical instruction shall be furnished by the Commandant of
12 
the PCG, by order of the President of the Philippines.
13 
Sec. 5. The Superintendent. - The PCG Academy shall be headed by the
14 
Superintendent, who shall be appointed by the Commandant of the PCG from among
15 
the active PCG Officers.
16 
The powers and duties of the Superintendent, in addition to those specifically
17 
provided for in this Act, shall be those usually pertaining to the office of the presient
18 
of a college or a university.
19 
The position of the Superintendent shall carry the rank of Vice-admiral in the
20 
PCG Table of Organization; Provided, that, the Superintendent shall have a
21 
maximum tenure in position for three (3) years.
22 
Sec. 6. The PCG Academy Board. - The government of the Academy is
23 
hereby vested in the PCG Academy Board, hereinafter called "Board", which shall be
24 
composed of the following:
25 
a) The Deputy Commandant for Administration, which shall be the Chairman
26 
of the Board;
27 
b) The Superintendent, which shall be the Vice-Chairman of the Board;
28 
c) The Deputy Commander of the Coast Guard Education and Training
29 
Command;
30 
d) Deputy Commander of the Coast Guard Maritime Safety Services
31 
Command;


1 
e) Deputy Commander of the Coast Guard Marine Environmental Protection
2 
Command;
3 
f) Deputy Commander of the Coast Guard Maritime Security Command;
4 
g) Dean of the PCG Corps of Professors; and
5 
h) Dean of Civilian Faculty.
6 
Members of the Board shall, in addition to their pay, allowances, and
7 
collateral entitlement under Republic Act No. 9993 and its IRR, receive a reasonable
8 
per diem for each attendance in the regular and special meetings of the Board and
9 
reimbursement of actual and necessary expenses incurred for the aforementioned
10 
purposes, as may be authorized by a resolution of the Board in accordance with
11 
existing accounting rules and regulations.
12 
Sec. 7. Duties and Powers of the PCG Academy Board. -The Board shall have
13 
the following duties and powers in addition to its general powers of administration:
14 
a) To confer such degree as may be determined by the Academic Council to
15 
successful candidates for graduation;
16 
b) To appoint, upon consideration of the Superintendent, civilian instructors,
17 
professors, and other employees of the Academy;
18 
c) To fix the compensation, hours of service, and other duties of the
19 
Superintendent, civilian instructors, professors and other employees of the
20 
Academy, as may be deemed proper under the Civil Service Laws;
21 
d) To grant leaves of absence to the Superintendent, civil instructors,
22 
professors and other employees of the Academy under existing laws and
23 
regulations;
24 
e) To recommend to the Commandant for the removal of the Superintendent
25 
with collateral recommendation that such officer be made to face the
26 
Efficiency and Separation Board of the PCG to verify fitness to remain in
27 
the service;
28 
f) To approve the curricula, rules of discipline and creation of the different
29 
departments drawn up by the Academic Council as herein under provided;
30 
g) To provide academic fellowship and scholarship for members of the Corps
31 
of Professors and Faculty Members;


1 
h) To provide rules for the administration of the Academy such general
2 
ordinances and regulations consistent with the herein provisions;
3 
i) To receive in trust legacies, gifts, and donations of real and personal
4 
property of all kinds and to administer the same for the benefit of the
5 
Academy or for the aid of the cadets, in accordance with the directions
6 
and instructions of the donor, and in, default thereof, in such manner as
7 
the Academy Board may, in its discretion, determine;
8 
j) To receive and appropriate such sums as may provided by law for the
9 
support of the Academy;
10 
k) To manage and utilize such income as maybe generated by the Academy
11 
for the maintenance, support, and improvement of the same; and
12 
I) To authorize the Superintendent to enter into Contract, Memorandum of
13 
Understanding, Memorandum of Agreement, and such other instruments,
14 
to the extent as may be allowed by law, relative to the performance of
15 
his/her powers and functions and for the effective implementation of the
16 
herein provisions.
17 
Sec. 8. Progress Report. - Within thirty (30) days after the close of the
18 
Academic Year, the Board shall file with the Commandant of the PCG a detailed
19 
report setting forth the progress, condition, and needs of the Academy.
20 
Sec. 9. The Academic Council. - There shall be an Academic Council
21 
consisting of the Superintendent and the Directors of all the department of the
22 
Academy.
23 
The Academic Council shall have the following powers:
24 
a) To determine the applicable tuition fees and academic charges;
25 
b) To prescribe the curricula;
26 
c) To prescribe rules of discipline; and
27 
d) To create various departments as it may be necessary, subject to the
28 
approval of the PCG Academy Board.
29 
The Academic Council shall fix the requirements for admission to the
30 
Academy as well as for graduation and the conferment of a degree. The Academic
31 
Council alone shall have the power to recommend students or others to be recipients
32 
of degrees.


1 
Sec. 11. The Faculty. - The body of Civilian Professors and Instructors of the
2 
Academy shall constitute the faculty of the Academy. The faculty shall be headed by
3 
a Dean, who shall be appointed by the Superintendent upon recommendation by the
4 
members of the Faculty.
5 
In the appointment of Professors and Instructors of the Academy, neither
6 
religious test shall be applied nor shall the religious opinions or affiliations of the
7 
faculty of the Academy be made a matter of examination or inquiry. Provided, that
8 
no Professor or Instructor in the Academy shall inculcate sectarian tenets in any of
9 
their teachings or attempt either directly or indirectly, under penalty of dismissal by
10 
the PCG Academy Board, to influence students of the Academy for or against any
11 
particular church or religious sect.
12 
Sec. 12. Relevant Civil Service and Licensure Examinations. - The Civilian
13 
Professors and Instructors in the Academy must have passed the relevant civil
14 
service or licensure examinations as a requisite to their appointment.
15 
The PCG Academic Council may require from both the members of the Corps
16 
of Professors and Faculty additional educational training, schooling, and Masteral
17 
and/or Doctoral degrees to raise the academic standards of the Academy. The same
18 
will be adopted in the career pattern of the members of the Corps of Professors.
19 
Similarly, it may also be used as basis for the promotion and career
20 
advancement of the members of the Faculty.
21 
Sec. 13. The Registrar. - There shall be a Registrar of the Academy, which
22 
shall be appointed by the PCG Academy Board. He or she shall sit as the Secretariat
23 
of the PCG Academy Board and shall be the custodian of all the records of the same.
24 
He or she shall also fulfill such other duties and responsibilities, as may be deemed
25 
proper by the Superintendent.
26 
Sec. 14. PCG Cadets. - The PCG cadets shall be admitted to the PCG
27 
Academy upon the approval of the Commandant of the PCG; Provided, that they
28 
meet the qualification and entry requirements prescribed in this Act.
29 
The PCG cadets' years of Government Service shall start on the date of
30 
admission in the PCG Academy for purposes of computation of PCG Active Service
31 
and entitlement to long pay benefits.


1 
Sec. 15. Exchange Program. - The Academy may admit students from the
2 
counterparts of the PCG from foreign coast guards, naval and/or maritime police
3 
organizations, especially those from members of the Association of South East Asian
4 
Nations (ASEAN), as cadets/cadettes, in order to foster regional cooperation and
5 
facilitate the coordination among the aforementioned organizations. Similarly, the
6 
Academy may send cadets to the appropriate Academy of the aforementioned
7 
organizations.
8 
Students from the foreign coast guards, naval and/or maritime police
9 
organizations, which provide scholarship and sponsorship from their own Academy
10 
to cadets sent by the Academy, shall also receive corresponding privileges from the
11 
Academy. Otherwise, they shall be required to pay such fees and charges as may be
12 
determined by the Academic Council. Upon graduation, they shall then return to
13 
their respective Organizations.
14 
Sec. 16. The PCG Academy Cadet Corps. - The PCG Academy cadet corps
15 
shall be the student body of the PCG Academy. The cadet corps shall be composed
16 
of PCG cadets and foreign cadets; Provided, that the foreign cadets shall not exceed
17 
ten percent (10%) of the total student population of the Academy.
18 
Sec. 17. Qualification and Entry Requirements. - All Cadets shall be selected
19 
from among the candidates by the Academic Council. The minimum qualifications for
20 
admission into the PG Academy are as follows:
21 
a) Natural-born Filipino citizen (applicable only to candidates for PCG Cadets);
22 
b) Single with no parental obligations;
23 
c) In good physical condition;
24 
d) Seventeen (17) to twenty-two (22) years of age, on the first day of the
25 
Academic Year; and
26 
e) At least secondary level graduate (High School or its equivalent)
27 
The Academic Council may determine such other requirements for admission to
28 
the PCG Academy, as may be necessary, that are applicable either separately for the
29 
PCG Cadets, Foreign Cadets only or common to all of them.
30 
Sec. 18. Discipline and Justice System. - Within three (3) months from the
31 
effectivity of this Law, the PCG Academy Board will prepare the discipline and justice


1 
system applicable to all cadets of the Academy for approval of the Commandant of
2 
the PCG.
3 
Sec. 19. Commission to the active PG Service. - Upon satisfactory compietion
4 
of the course of instruction at the PCG Academy, PCG Cadets shall be commissioned
5 
as Ensigns in the active PG Service with relative seniority in the order of their final
6 
general academic standings.
7 
PCG Cadets who shall suffer, before graduation, permanent and total
8 
disability by reason of injury or sickness whiie in the Academy shall be retired with
9 
the rank of cadet and shall be entitled to the retirement benefits of an Ensign in the
10 
PCG.
11 
Sec. 20. Conferment of the Degree. - Graduates of the PCG Academy shall be
12 
conferred upon graduation of a Bachelor of Science (BS) Degree. The PCG Academic
13 
Council shall develop such curricula that will cater to the primary functions of the
14 
PCG under Republic Act No. 9993 and its IRR and responsive to the needs of the
15 
maritime stakeholders and the maritime interest of the Country, for approval of the
16 
PCG Academy Board.
17 
Sec. 21. Commissionship to the Armed Forces of the Phiiippines. - graduates
18 
of the PCG Academy, subject to the rules to be issued by the Armed Forces of the
19 
Philippines (AFP), shall be given the option to be a commissioned officer of the
20 
Philippine Navy.
21 
Sec. 22. Pay, Allowances, and Collateral Entitlements. - Members of the PCG
22 
Corps of Professors and other PCG Uniformed Personnel assigned at the PCG
23 
Academy shall receive such pay, allowances, and collateral entitlements
24 
corresponding to their ranks as provided under Republic Act No. 9993 and its IRR.
25 
Members of the Faculty and other civilian personnel appointed as such in the
26 
PCG Academy shall receive the pay, allowances, and collateral entitlements enjoyed
27 
by their counterparts in the Philippine National Police Academy or Philippine Military
28 
Academy, whichever is higher, subject to applicabie rules and regulations. PCG
29 
Cadets shall receive pay and allowances as provided under Republic Act No. 9993
30 
and its IRR reckoned from admission in the Academy.
31


1 
Sec. 23. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within three (3) months from
2 
the effectiity of this Law, the PCG shall formulate the necessary Implementing Rules
3 
and Regulations to prescribe the procedures and guideiines for the implementation
4 
of the same for the approval of the Secretary, Department of Transportation.
5 
Simiiarly, the Table of Organization and Equipment, including the Plantilla
6 
Positions of members of the Faculty and other civilian personnel, of the Academy will
7 
be established by the PCG Academy Board for approval by the Secretary,
8 
Department of Transportation.
9 
Sec. 24. Appropriations. - For purposes of this Act, the sum of One Billion
10 
Five Hundred Miliion Pesos (Phpl,500,000,000.00) shall be appropriated for the
11 
purpose of the establishment of the PCG Academy. The appropriation shall be
12 
treated as a separate and distinct budget item from the reguiar appropriations of the
13 
PCG. The appropriations shali be implemented in a staggered basis. Five Hundred
14 
Miilion Pesos (Php500,000,000.00) shall be released by the Department of Budget
15 
and Management (DBM) annually for three (3) years.
16 
Eight Hundred Miilion Pesos, (Php800,000,000.00) shall be appropriated for
17 
the purpose of acquiring a modern training ship for the PCG Academy to supplement
18 
classroom instructions.
19 
Sixty Miliion Pesos (Php60,000,000.00) shall be included in the yearly General
20 
Appropriations Act for the maintenance and operation of the PCG Academy.
21 
Sec. 25. Separability Clause. - If any of the provisions of this Act is deciared
22 
invalid, the other provisions not affected thereby shali remain in full force and effect.
23 
Sec. 26. Repealing Clause. - All laws, executive orders, rules and regulations
24 
inconsistent with or contrary with the provisions of this Act hereby repealed or
25 
amended accordingly.
26 
Sec. 27. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days
27 
following its publication in a newspaper of general circulation or in the Officiai
28 
Gazette, whichever comes first.
Approved,
8