Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commandant, CG Admiral Ronnie Gil L Gavan, has lauded two Coast Guard sea marshals who arrested a civilian who ran amok at the Port of Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, at around 8:24PM yesterday, 22 November 2023.

CG Seaman First Class (SN1) Christian Leden Marquez and CG SN1 Elmer Dacanay received a report from a sea passenger that someone tried to kill him and was running amok on board.

The suspect also punched a Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) duty sea marshal and attempted to acquire his service firearm.

CG SN1 Marquez and CG SN1 Dacanay helped the PMC duty sea marshal and successfully took down the suspect. It was during this incident that the suspect said he planted two bombs on board the RoRo/ferry vessel.

Immediately, the Coast Guard sea marshals advised the Captain to disembark all passengers as a precautionary measure.

Members of the Coast Guard K9 Unit-BARMM then conducted paneling on board the RoRo/ferry vessel to ensure the safety of the passengers before boarding.

Meanwhile, the civilian who ran amok was brought to the Philippine National Police (PNP) Bongao Station for appropriate action.

"The successful arrest of the civilian who ran amok on board proves how professional, competent, and courageous our Coast Guard sea marshals are in fulfilling their mandated functions," CG Admiral Gavan said.

During his designation as Maritime Security and Law Enforcement Commander, CG Admiral Gavan pushed for nationalizing sea marshals on board RoRo/ferry vessels.