| Ronnie Gil Gavan | |
| Birth Date: | 21 February 1969 |
| Birth Place: | Maitum, Sarangani, Philippines |
| Office1: | 30th Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard |
| Term Start1: | October 19, 2023 |
| President1: | Bongbong Marcos |
| Predecessor1: | Artemio Abu |
| Alma Mater: | Philippine Military Academy (B.S) University of Wollongong (M.M.S) |
| Branch: | Philippine Coast Guard |
| Serviceyears: | 1993 - present |
| Unit: | Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard Deputy Commandant for Administration Maritime Security and Law Enforcement Command Task Force Kalinga Task Force Pagsasanay Coast Guard District Central Visayas |
Ronnie Gil Latorilla Gavan[1] is a Filipino admiral 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.[2]
Gavan was born on 21 February 1969 in Maitum, Sarangani. Both his parents work as public school teachers. Gavan graduated from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) as part of the Maalab class of 1993.[1] 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 in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. Gavan also completed the Executive Course on National Security at the National Defense College of the Philippines and the Leadership and Governance Course at the Harvard Kennedy School.[3]
After his graduation in the PMA in 1993, Gavan briefly joined the Philippine Army before fully serving at the Philippine Coast Guard, 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. [3]
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.[3] [4] 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, locally known as Typhoon Odette.[5]
Gavan is also credited for the creation of the Angels of the Sea, an all-female radio operator team which boards on vessels deployed in the South China Sea by the PCG.[6] The first batch of the Angels graduated in 2021.[7] [8] By February 2023, Gavan was promoted to the rank of vice admiral.[9]
President Bongbong Marcos appointed Gavan as Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard on October 19, 2023, succeeding Artemio Abu. He was at the same time promoted to admiral.[6] He was selected from a shortlist of five people.[10] [11] [12] 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.[13]
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.[3]