CG ADM ARTEMIO M ABU
Coast Guard Admiral Artemio Manalo Abu was born and raised as the second child among the 11 siblings of Mr and Mrs Benjamin Endaya Abu of Barangay Luta Sur, Malvar, Batangas. He takes pride of his status as a farmer’s son and a product of public school system who graduated as class valedictorian both in elementary and high school.
He is a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City where he completed his Bachelor’s Degree in the upper one third of PMA Class ‘92. He has completed his Master’s Degree in Marine Management at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He has also taken some units at the College of Law at Adamson University.
He has undergone various local and foreign studies, among others: the very important person protection and security course at the Presidential Security Group Training School in Malacanang Park, Manila; Global Maritime Distress and Safety System General Operator’s Course as well as the Maritime Search and Rescue Course at the Maritime Training Center in Fremantle, Western Australia; the Basic Firefighting Course in Maritime Disaster Prevention Training Center in Yokosuka, Japan; and the Individual Training Course in Search and Rescue at the Japan Coast Guard Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.
He has also completed various trainings in Coast Guard operations under the United States Coast Guard training team and communications and crisis management trainings through the professors of Cranfield University in the United Kingdom.
He has represented the country during the Maritime Safety and Risk Analysis conference in Nova Scotia, Canada and during the Philippine-Japan-Indonesia Marine Pollution Exercise in Sorong, Indonesia. He also served as the head of the Philippine delegation during the International Maritime Organization Conventions that were held in London, in South Korea and in Thailand. He was sent by the Philippine government to the United States Coast Guard Training Center in Yorktown, Virginia and to Beijing, China to observe best practices in the conduct of training of the Coast Guard being a universal and humanitarian service.
He has served as the director for academics and full time instructor at the Coast Guard Education and Training Command where he has been assigned as Course Director of three Coast Guard Officer Courses. He has also served as an evaluator of the maritime training council of the Philippines which inspects and accredits maritime training institutions in the country.
At the National Headquarters of the Coast Guard, he has served as the Staff Weapons, Communications and Information System (CG-11), Staff for Ships and Aircraft Repair and Maintenance (CG-10), and Staff for Education and Training (CG-12).
He also served as the technical adviser to the presidential adviser for Western Visayas during the Guimaras oil spill incident, and PCG focal person for the technical design of the ten (44) meter multi-role response vessels (MRRVs) acquired in Japan and five PCG vessels build in France.
As a Coast Guard officer, he has been assigned as provincial head of the Coast Guard in Camarines Provinces, Province of Masbate and Puerto Princesa City in Palawan. He has also served as commanding officer of various category of PCG ships. Where he has earned the most covetted Command at Sea Badge. All of the units which Admiral Abu has commanded both ashore and afloat had the distinction as best unit of the year at the national level.
He was also assigned as the Commander of Coast Guard Ready Force which oversees the career management of officers and men who are assigned aboardship, as well as the maintenance and operational readiness all floating assets of the Philippine Coast Guard. A Ready Force Commander, he was instrumental in the design, identification of technical specification and qualifying the manning requirements for the fifteen brand new coast guard vessels which were acquired by the Philippine government from Japan and France.
By virtue of his exceptional organizational skills, management and leadership, he was entrusted by the PCG leadership to organize the Coast Guard District in Southern Visayas covering the provinces of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor. Said district takes pride of his achievements as the pioneering district commander, who is tremendously adored and respected by his men, the PCG Auxiliary members, the maritime stakeholders and the community as well.
He was also assigned as the district commander of Coast Guard District Southern Tagalog covering the provinces of Batangas, Quezon, Marinduque, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro and Romblon.
During the recent Taal volcano eruption incident in January 2020, he was designated as the Commander of the PCG Task Force Taal, a response organization of the government which earned recognition and accolades from the affected community, the responders, other government agencies, and the media; and eventually propelled the Coast Guard as a uniformed, maritime and humanitarian service of the country.
He has also served as the Deputy Commander and subsequently designated as Acting Commander of the Marine Environmental Protection Command (MEPCOM) where he was instrumental in the significant improvement of the living condition and teamwork of personnel assigned at the MEPCOM Headquarters.
When the COVID 19 pandemic hit the country, he was chosen by the PCG National Headquarters to be the senior PCG representative to the Joint Task Force COVID Shield at Camp Crame.
He was assigned as the Commander of the Coast Guard Education Training and Doctrine Command (CGETDC) whose vision is to make CGETDC as the prime mover in defining the culture and identity of the Coast Guard.
Recently, he was recognized by the Philippine Military Academy as the distinguished Cavalier Awardee for 2021 in the field of Coast Guard Operation. The highest recognition given to a PMA alumnus for Outstanding Achievements in their field of endeavor.
He is married to the former Miss Carlota Vergara of Luta Norte and blessed with four children, Kevin Paul- a Certified Public Accountant working at Aecom International; Kariza Pamela – a second year in the College of Medicine at the University of the Philippines-Manila; Kurt Patrick – third year engineering student at the University of Sto Tomas; and Karina Paula - second year high school student currently studying at De La Salle Lipa.
His vision for the Philippine Coast Guard is to liken its existence to the basic but most important unit of society – the family. He is very consistent in his advocacy: “dapat ay maging isang pamilya tayo na nagkakaisa, may malasakit sa bawat isa at may magandang pakikitungo sa komunidad!”
He wants to establish the identity and culture of the Coast Guard: culture of respect, culture of discipline, culture of thrust, teamwork and selfless public service. Among his first agenda is to define the core values of the coast guard and promote good human relations among fellow Coastguardians.