Angels of the Sea to become voice of peace in West Philippine Sea

MANILA, Philippines — At least 81 Philippine Coast Guard female radio operators have graduated from a training school, with some to become part of a crew patrolling the West Philippine Sea, the PCG announced yesterday.

“Hearing a female voice on the other end of communication line could help defuse tension with foreign ships in the West Philippine Sea,” an officer, who asked not to be named, said.

“The PCG believes that training female Coast Guard personnel as radio operators will be helpful in maintaining peace in the contested waters of the West Philippine Sea,, and this is one of the reasons the ‘Angels of the Sea’ was created,” he said.

The 81 graduates make up the first-ever all female radio operators called Angels of the Sea. They completed the radio operators’ course on June 25.

“The PCG recognizes the evolving unique importance of having female radio operators aboard Coast Guard vessels and shore-based units, especially in communicating with foreign ships, so as not to elevate tension,” the organization said in a statement.

The PCG said its Angels of the Sea is envisioned to become the voice of peace and rules-based order at sea, especially in the country’s sensitive maritime frontiers.

Some members of the Angels of the Sea Class 01 – 2021 are assigned aboard patrol ships participating in the PCG Task Force Pagsasanay that are on rotational training exercises in various Philippine maritime jurisdictions, including the West Philippine Sea,.

In May, Provisional Ensign Gretch Mary Acuario, a lawyer and female PCG member, on board the BRP Cabra issued a radio challenge to seven Chinese vessels at the Sabina Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. The Chinese ships reportedly dispersed afterward.