This was how Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan addressed his fellow Maitumians on January 26 during the culmination program of the 17th Bangsi Festival.

Gavan, who likened a Maitumian to bangsi, encouraged his townmates, especially the youth to “reach higher, move farther, be greater, than being just a fish that swims.”

“Even if you have the ability to do special things, to move faster, farther, greater, forward, mind you, you will always go back to your home,” Gavan told the locals who jampacked the municipal gymnasium. “You fly, but find the time to swim back to where you came from.”

The 30th Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard is a son of public school teachers – principal Gideon Gavan Sr. (deceased) and Violeta Latorilla Gavan. From Rudes Elementary School of Barangay Mabay in this multicultural coastal town, he went to the then Malalag Barangay High School to be known as a “campus crush,” according to a classmate.

“Today, we do not just welcome a decorated officer, a scholar, or a strategic leader. We welcome a friend, a son of the soil, and a beacon of hope and humanity,” said municipal environment officer Nannette Nacional in her introduction.

Admiral Gavan, who was invited by Mayor Alexander Bryan Reganit to be the guest speaker of the Bangsi Festival closing program, expressed his utmost gratitude to Reganit who contributed to “what I am today.”

As his way of giving back to the mayor and to his hometown Maitum, Gavan said the PCG will be refocusing its recruitment activity to Maitum.

“We will be giving priority to our townmates, subject of course to the endorsement and the processes to be undertaken by the good mayor,” he added.

“This is my way of etching this milestone in my life, to be able to swim back to my home Maitum,” Gavan said.

Gavan said the PCG would also accommodate in the recruitment process the neighboring towns of Maitum, which are Maasim, Kiamba, and Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat.

He gifted Mayor Reganit a replica of the BRP Gabriela Silang, the largest and a state-of-the-art aluminum-made offshore vessel in the world. According to Gavan, it is one of the most modern ships the PCG has.

Gavan is a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy “Maalab” Class of 1993. Admiral Gavan is also a holder of Master of Maritime Studies by Research Degree focusing on Philippine Maritime Border Security and the Law of the Sea from the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, Faculty of Law, University of Wollongong, Australia, and also studied National Security at the National Defense College of the Philippines, as well as Leadership and Governance at Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, USA.

His leadership was honed by his vast experience as Commander of various Coast Guard Districts and PCG major units and as Commanding Officer of PCG capital ships and BFAR vessels.

Admiral Gavan speaks Ilongo, Cebuano and Ilocano.

READ MORE HERE: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=702092672041722&id=100067229872557&mibextid=Nif5oz