ADMIRAL GARCIA: People Person, A Man in Action

By heart and in action, no doubt how Admiral Garcia has lived up to the mantra of Civil
Relations – winning the battle by winning the hearts and minds of people. With a clear
vision, utmost courage and selfless dedication to reach the pinnacle of excellence, he
has led the organization above the norm and has set a standard for its continuous
improvement and transformation.

I met the Admiral in 1999, at the halls of the House of Representatives as I was
instructed to join the PCG contingent in one of the technical working group hearings on
marine environmental protection. I was told that then Lt Garcia would preside over a
meeting to be attended by various marine environmental professionals and
stakeholders. I was skeptical because I attended previous legislative hearings as a law
students and was not used to a military officer presiding a legislative meeting especially
with a merchant marine background. In my mind merchant marine officers are not be
taken seriously in a legislative hearings due to my previous encounters of their kind.
They are excellent skippers but never have I encountered someone that will engage in
an intellectual discourse. I doubted whether he can scholarly handle parliamentary
procedures and achieve the needed inputs on the proposed environmental protection
edicts. However, truth to be told, I was so embarrassed. Lt Garcia displayed savvy
during the proceedings, eloquence and most of all his extra ordinary intra personal skills
as he masterfully navigated the three hour discussions. Needless to say, all my doubts
were erased and I started to get interested to him as an officer of the Philippine Coast
Guard. Since then, I looked forward to every engagement that he either initiated or
presided. For me, I was newbie to the coast guard and needed to be mentored on
myriad of issues and challenges affecting the organization and was so fortunate to take
advantage of his informal lectures tackling the different facets of the organization in
relation to what it can contribute to the overall accomplishment of good governance.

So many things transpired after that encounter. I learned that he was the prime mover
of the PCG’s transfer from the Armed Forces of the Philippines to the Department of
Transportation and a well versed lecturer on maritime safety and environmental
protection. Of course through the years, I discovered his leadership qualities and most
of all his love and passion for our country.

In the study of Public Administration, good governance is, among other things,
participatory, transparent and accountable. It is also effective and equitable. And it
promotes the rule of law. It ensures that organizational goals and priorities are based on
broad consensus among the actors and that the voices of the most vulnerable are heard
in decision-making over the allocation of development resources. Nonetheless, good
governance is doomed to fail without a capable, responsible, and selfless leader. The
effective leadership particularly in the uniformed service can be considered a critical
factor in determining the over-all impact of the agency to the country.

This is how I looked at the perspective of Admiral Garcia’s leadership and management
skills.

As in the words of Dr. Pikay Richardson in his paper written in 2008 entitled "Good
Governance: The Challenge of Leadership in Africa", he cites the significance of
leadership in realizing good governance. He states that "while there can be no progress
without good governance, leadership is the pivot around which good governance
revolves. Leaders are people who develop visions of future progress, develop
strategies and align people behind them to achieve the visions. A good leader must be
able to render selfless service and desist from selfishness; he must make provision for
training and empowering his people and encourage self-employment; he must be
serious with issues that concerns the youths as they are the future leaders and should
treat the adults with respect" (Richardson, P, 2008:7).

Admiral Garcia never backed out of any organizational challenges, he continually

challenged his peers to raise the benchmark of performance, to innovate, to put plans
into actions and do it fast!

As we aptly put it for those who were with him in so many years that he led, “ res ipsa
loquitur”.

Admiral Garcia is an epitome of transformational leadership and the milestones of the

PCG is the reflection of his unwavering hunger for knowledge and passion for growth
not only for survival and success but more importantly for a significance – achieving the
greater good for this nation.
His kind of leadership with a vision and leadership by example has tremendously
equipped the men and women of the PCG to share the same vision and to walk in the
light of his footprints.
As what Charles Noble observed, “You must have a long-range vision to keep you from
being frustrated by short-range failures.”
A day in a life of a Coast guardian is like the turns of waves. You cannot foresee how
big or small the waves are but you can always be ready to ride the waves in order for
you not to be trampled by them. Inevitably, challenges in leadership are ever-present
but a long-range vision has kept him going and has made him sturdier through time.
His vision has made the Command equipped whether in water, land, or air. As we are
progressing, we are becoming more modernized to meet the demands and challenges
of the 21st century and the evolving phenomenal crises.
Undeniably, his leadership by example has produced quality and well-rounded leaders
who are making their own significant contributions.
His leadership is parallel to what John Maxwell explains in his book Your Road Map to
Success, “My intention in developing leaders had been to help them improve
themselves, but I found that I was also benefiting greatly. Spending time with them has
been like investing. They had grown, and at the same time I had reaped incredible
dividends. That’s when I realized that if I was to make it to the next level, I was going to
have to extend myself through others. I would find leaders and pour my life into them,
and as they improved, so would I.”
As public affairs practitioner for many years, I have learned to protect the image of the
PCG based on the collective leadership styles of all the Commandants in position.
Admiral Garcia has full confidence to all PCG personnel. He has always prepositioned
us at the forefront of national service, with guaranteed trust and support that we are
ready to respond to any situation our country is facing.
The Commandant has recognized that the PCG is not a stand-alone agency. Admiral
Garcia has modeled a kind of leadership acknowledging that the efficiency and
effectivity of the PCG cannot be in its optimum level without getting on board and having
partnership with other maritime services, armed services and police forces, government
agencies, local government units, Non-Government Organizations, maritime industry
associations, private sectors, and international partners. Given its multifarious powers
and functions, the partnerships have significantly addressed a win-win solution while
considering a cost-benefit analysis and have maximized the strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats of the collaborations in order to achieve our common goals.
As a by-product, the Command has been growing into an inevitable partner of change in
responding to the dynamic and complex challenges the world are facing, both man-
made and by nature. The PCG, which people do not recognized before, has been given
credence and name, and has risen to become a responsible partner of the local
communities and the national government.
Without his support and foresight, the Coast Guard Civil Relations Service will not be
born as a Command. Even during his stint as the Officer-in-Charge, he recognized the
significance of Civil Relations especially in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief
efforts.
True to its essence, the CRS has been playing a vital and crucial role for the
organization. The CRS as a Command grows together as a community with the heart
to effect a positive change, warming the hearts of people and putting smiles on their
faces. With helping hands, we have reached different places during times of disasters,
calamities and crises. We engaged in health and welfare services for the marginal
sectors of the society. While wearing proudly our uniforms and orange shirts with bold
print of the name COASTGUARD, we have extended our service to fisher folk and
coastal communities especially in far-flung areas as advocates of true Coast Guard
service and as active forces of the Command in all civil relations engagements.
Since its inception, the CRS has witnessed the most devastating crises our country
have dealt with. The terrorists attacks during the Marawi Crisis, the consecutive
earthquakes in Batanes; Porac, Pampanga, and Davao; the eruption of Taal Volcano;
and the pandemic crisis of Covid-19 – in all these, the CRS has seen how the people
need the genuine service of the Coast Guard. Aside from these major crises, the CRS
also makes sure to provide ease and comfort for stranded passengers during
cancellation of sea travels and seasons the festivity of different celebrations and
holidays with concerts, static displays, and outreach programs.
The CRS as a mechanism to connect to the people would not have been possible
without the ardent trust of Admiral Garcia. We have evolved and have grown as
humane Coast Guards for the people.
Admiral Garcia has also gave a home for the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary in the
CRS. The PCGA has been the ever-present volunteer arm of the PCG and their unity
to extend their resources and time despite their diverse personalities has been the
continuous strength of the CRS. All the challenges that the Philippines have
encountered and how they responded to the call of voluntary service are the living
proofs of their unquestionable and selfless dedications for the country. Neither their
origins, professional backgrounds, races, nor ages have become the hindrances to the
true sense of bayahinan.
For the organization, Admiral Garcia has not limit the possibilities of growth and change.
With his guidance, the CRS has ventured on crafting the Reservist Force who will be
the additional manpower of the Command in responding to the call of service.
All these have been significant contributions to the totality of PCG’s growth and
development.
Indeed, Admiral Garcia’s leadership has turned visions into reality. With his actions,
progress has become inevitable.
What the PCG now is the result of his toilsome efforts in ensuring that taxes from the
people have been maximized for their own benefit and advantage. As John Maxwell
avers, “Whenever you see significant progress in an organization it’s because the
leader made courageous decisions,” and the Commandant’s bravery is undeniably
unquestionable.