Ronnie Gil Latorilla Gavan is a Filipino

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

who serves as the incumbent commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard. Admiral Gavan is a graduate of the PMA Class of 1993 and his previous commands and posts include the deputy commandant for administration, and the Maritime Security and Law Enforcement Command.

Early life and education

Gavan was born on 21 February 1969 in

Maitum Maitum, officially the Municipality of Maitum (; , Jawi Alphabet, Jawi: ايڠد نو مايتم; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Sarangani, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, ...

Sarangani Sarangani, officially the Province of Sarangani (; ; Maguindanao language, Maguindanaon: ''Dairat nu Sarangani'', Jawi Alphabet, Jawi: دايرت نو سرڠان; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the ...

. Both his parents work as public school teachers. Gavan graduated from the

Philippine Military Academy The Philippine Military Academy ( / ) also referred to by its acronym PMA is the premier military academy for Filipinos aspiring for a commission as a military officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). It was established on Decembe ...

(PMA) as part of the Maalab class of 1993. Gavan earned his Master of Maritime Studies by Research Degree, wherein his thesis focused on Philippine Maritime Border Security and the Law of the Sea at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, Faculty of Law, in the

University of Wollongong The University of Wollongong (UOW) is an Australian public university, public research university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, approximately south of Sydney. , the university had an enrolment of more than 33,000 s ...

Wollongong Wollongong ( ; Dharawal: ''Woolyungah'') is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near water' or 'sound ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. Gavan also completed the Executive Course on National Security at the

National Defense College of the Philippines The National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP; ) is an educational, training, and research agency of the Philippine government located inside Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City. It is responsible for providing continued and ...

and the Leadership and Governance Course at the

Harvard Kennedy School The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

Career

After his graduation in the PMA in 1993, Gavan briefly joined the

Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) () is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare. , it had an estimated strength of 143,100 soldiers The service branch was established on December ...

before fully serving at the

Philippine Coast Guard The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG; ) is the third armed uniformed service of the country attached to the Philippines' Department of Transportation, tasked primarily with enforcing laws within Philippine waters, conducting maritime security ope ...

, where he was assigned under various Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessels, and later commanded the PCG and the BFAR capital ships. Gavan eventually became commanded of various Coast Guard Districts, which includes the Coast Guard District Central Visayas. In the midst of the lockdown impositions during the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, Gavan led the first PCG unit in assisting the arrival of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and spearheaded the PCG's “Hatid Tulong Initiative” for the Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs). During his term as commander of the Task Force Pagsasanay, which was launched on 6 April 2021, Gavan enhanced the Public-Private Partnership of the PCG on Humanitarian and Disaster Response Operations, as well as strengthened the branch's capacity building and preparedness in humanitarian missions, navigation skills, and maintenance operations. Gavan also eventually led the Task Force Kalinga, where he continued partnership initiatives with the private sector to boost the coast guard's transport capacity for the delivery of relief supplies to the victims of the

Typhoon Rai Typhoon Rai, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Odette, was a deadly and extremely destructive super typhoon, which was the second costliest typhoon in Philippine history behind Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. Rai was a powerful rare tropical c ...

, locally known as Typhoon Odette. Gavan is also credited for the creation of the Angels of the Sea, an all-female

radio operator A radio operator (also, formerly, a wireless operator in British and Commonwealth English) is a person who is responsible for the operations of a radio system and the technicalities in broadcasting. The profession of radio operator has become l ...

team which boards on vessels deployed in the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...

by the PCG. The first batch of the Angels graduated in 2021. By February 2023, Gavan was promoted to the rank of

vice admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

. President

Bongbong Marcos Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. (, , ; born September 13, 1957), commonly referred to by the initials BBM or PBBM, is a Filipino politician who has served as the 17th president of the Philippines since 2022. He is the second child ...

appointed Gavan as Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard on October 19, 2023, succeeding Artemio Abu. He was at the same time promoted to

. He was selected from a shortlist of five people. In March 2024, Gavan was unanimously reelected as the chairperson for the ReCAAP ISC Governing Council, a position he held since 2023. Gavan's term in the council is set to expire on 30 May 2027. On February 18, 2025, Admiral Gavan is also the first admiral and commandant of the coast guard to secure a 3-year fixed term for the post after the signing of Republic Act No. 12122, which was immediately placed into effect and is set to serve his tenure until 19 October 2026.

Awards and decorations from Coast Guard Service

* Coast Guard

Distinguished Service Star The Distinguished Service Star is the third highest military award of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It is awarded for eminently meritorious and valuable service rendered while holding a position of great responsibility. Description of the ...

* Coast Guard

Outstanding Achievement Medal The Outstanding Achievement MedalThe AFP Adjutant General, ''AFP Awards and Decorations Handbook'', 1997, OTAG, p. 23. is a single grade decoration of the Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archi ...

* Coast Guard Superior Achievement Medal * Coast Guard Bronze Cross Medal * Coast Guard Search and Rescue Medal * Coast Guard Merit Medal * Coast Guard Civic Action Medal * Coast Guard Long Service Medal * Coast Guard Command-at-Sea Badge * Combat Commander's Kagitingan Badge

Other awards

* 2020 Philippine Military Academy Cavalier Awardee for Coast Guard Operations * PMA Outstanding Achievement Award

Personal life

Gavan is married to Commodore Lysamyra Marie Nonato, who currently serves as the Chief Nurse of the PCG and they have two sons. Aside from Filipino and English, Gavan can also speak Cebuano, Ilocano, and Ilonggo. Gavan also served as the president of the PCG Officers Club for 2020-2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gavan, Ronnie Gil Living people Philippine Coast Guard personnel Philippine Military Academy alumni 1969 births