Court of Appeals reinstates PCG official axed over West Philippine Sea equipment

MANILA, Philippines — The Court of Appeals (CA) has reinstated a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) official ordered dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman over the allegedly anomalous purchase of office supplies and information technology equipment for the West Philippine Sea dispute in 2013.

In a 10-page amended decision promulgated last March 15, the former 10th Division of the CA reconsidered its ruling in August last year that affirmed the dismissal order of the ombudsman against Coast Guard Intelligence Force (CGIF) deputy chief Commander Ivan Roldan in 2017.

The CA granted the appeal of Roldan and instead reversed and set aside the ombudsman’s order. It held that the questioned purchases were brought about by the territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea and so public bidding, under such circumstances, was not required.

“It was not disputed that the West Philippine Sea crisis during the period 2013 to 2015 was indeed a major security issue; that it was during that time that the CGIF was tasked to conduct 24/7 monitoring, surveillance, intelligence gathering, and other significant intelligence operations at West Philippine Sea; and that the CGIF was required to maintain a high degree of operational readiness wherein immediate action was necessary in order to avoid delay or disruption in its operations,” read the ruling penned by Associate Justice Apolinario Bruselas Jr.

The CA reversed its ruling after Roldan filed a manifestation that his unit was tasked to supervise the conduct of intelligence operations in the WPS and that the Department of Foreign Affairs  had acknowledged the PCG’s efforts and its contributions to the filing of a case against China before the International Arbitral Tribunal, where the Philippines eventually won.

Roldan told the CA that the CGIF’s task was to monitor the activities affecting the Philippine coasts in Bajo de Masinloc and the Kalayaan Group of Islands.