Joel Sarsiban Garcia

Joel Garcia
Joel Garcia
28th Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard
	In office; 24 October 2019 – 1 June 2020
President	Rodrigo Duterte
Preceded by	Elson E. Hermogino
Succeeded by	George V. Ursabia, Jr.
Personal details
Born	June 1, 1964 (age 60); Bago, Negros Occidental
Alma mater	Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (BS) ; World Maritime University (MS) ; Sulu State College (H.D., honoris causa) ; Eulogio "Amang" Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology (PhD)
Military service
Allegiance	Philippines
Branch/service	Philippine Coast Guard
Years of service	1985–2020
Rank	Admiral
Unit	Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard; Executive Director, National Coast Watch Center; Deputy Commandant for Administration of the Philippine Coast Guard; Coast Guard Marine Environmental Protection Command; Coast Guard Education and Training Command; Coast Guard Weapons, Communications, Electronics and Information Systems Command; Coast Guard District National Capital Region – Central Luzon; Coast Guard District Western Region; Coast Guard District Eastern Luzon Region; Coast Guard District Northern Luzon Region;
Battles/wars	Battle of Marawi

Admiral Joel Sarsiban Garcia is a Philippine Coast Guard admiral who has served as the 28th Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard, who also has served as the executive director of the National Coast Watch Center (NCWC), and the deputy commandant for administration of the Philippine Coast Guard ^[1]^[2]

Early life and education

Admiral Garcia was born and raised in Bago, Negros Occidental,^[3] and finished his education at the University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos, before graduating the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) in 1985, and earned his Master of Science degree in maritime administration from the World Maritime University in Malmö, Sweden and Masters in Shipping Management at his alma mater, in the PMMA. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in public administration at the Eulogio "Amang" Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology, conferred his doctor's degree in humanities (Honoris Causa) (H.D) at the Sulu State College, for his humanitarian services, and earned his license as a Master Mariner in 1992. He also earned the title Al-Haj for completing the Hajj.^[2]^[4] He also served as a professor in Maritime Administration and Environmental Economics in the PMMA Graduate School.^[5]

Career

Admiral Garcia was assigned in various ships from the Philippine Navy, and the Philippine Coast Guard, wherein he also skippered various ships. He also served as the executive director of the Presidential Task Force on Maritime Development Secretariat in 1996 during the Presidency of Fidel Ramos, and served as the chairman of the Committee on Islamic Religious Studies and a member of the Technical Panels in Humanities and Maritime Education of the CHED from 2003 to 2010. Admiral Garcia served as Coast Guard District Commander on four districts: Coast Guard District National Capital Region – Central Luzon, Coast Guard District Western Region, Coast Guard District Eastern Luzon Region, and Coast Guard District Northern Luzon Region; and was also appointed on staff positions at the National Headquarters of the Philippine Coast Guard.

He was appointed as Officer-in-Charge of the Philippine Coast Guard from December 21, 2016, to December 15, 2018, after his predecessor, Rear Admiral William M. Melad, along with 24 other officials were suspended by the Ombudsman due to corruption charges.^[6]^[3] He also served as commander of the Coast Guard Weapons, Communications, Electronics and Information Systems Command, the Coast Guard Education and Training Command, and the Coast Guard Marine Environmental Protection Command.

He became the deputy commandant for administration of the Philippine Coast Guard, the second highest post in the coast guard, and at the same time, served as the executive director of the National Coast Watch Center, and the chairperson of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Governing Council, based in Singapore, before being appointed as the commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard on October 24, 2019.^[7]