Philippines, explained.
A Coast Guard member performs a radio communication exercise during a shipboard training activity aboard BRP Bagacay in Philippine waters on 27 May 2026 (Philippine Coast Guard)
Female radio operators calmed mariners in piracy-prone waters – a lesson for maritime security across Southeast Asia.
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Sea Angels: The Philippines turned communication into a security toolSea Angels: The Philippines turned communication into a security tool
Amid rising piracy and abduction rates in the Sulu-Celebes Seas in 2017, the Philippines deployed female radio operators to reassure anxious mariners. The idea was simple. While transiting the area, seafarers heard a voice from as far as 160 kilometres away, informing them that they were being watched over by coast guard authorities.
The deployment was intended to offer support – and it worked. Communication, it turned out, could function as a security capability in its own right, translating Women, Peace and Security (WPS) (Opens in new window) commitments into operational practice.
Initially called “Sea Angels”, the idea emerged from a concern that the Sulu-Celebes Seas would be cemented as a high-risk zone (Opens in new window), which could drive up vessel insurance premiums (Opens in new window), raise shipping costs, affect regional supply chains and increase prices of consumer goods across Southeast Asia. The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) had earlier warned ships about abduction risks in the area, even advising them to re-route (Opens in new window), if feasible.
The Philippines responded by establishing radio repeaters on surrounding mountains to extend communication coverage, from 80 kilometres to 160 kilometres, across the Sulu-Celebes Seas. Once vessels were monitored through the automatic identification system, female radio operators, trained in foreign languages, human behaviour, shipboard operations and rule of law, informed them that the Philippine Coast Guard was monitoring the area.
International shipping associations later reached out to the ReCAAP (Opens in new window) Information Sharing Centre to relay that the initiative effectively reassured mariners navigating the area, knowing that authorities were present and ready to respond. The program’s effectiveness was reflected in this feedback and the growing confidence in Philippine maritime security efforts.
Radio operators practice maritime communications during a simulated operational scenario aboard a rigid-hulled inflatable boat deployed from BRP Bagacay in Philippine waters on 28 May 2026 (Philippine Coast Guard)
Four years later, the initiative evolved into a capacity-building program known as “Angels of the Sea” that expanded women’s participation in maritime security operations across the Philippines, including the West Philippine Sea.
The broader lesson extends beyond the Philippine experience. In Southeast Asia, routine maritime challenges occur below the threshold of armed conflict or violent extremism as they involve coast guards, law enforcement authorities, fishing groups, commercial vessels and civilian seafarers operating across shared waters. Misunderstanding and coercive behaviour (Opens in new window) can immediately escalate tension when maritime communication is handled poorly. While piracy and maritime kidnapping incidents in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and grey-zone activities in the West Philippine Sea involve different actors and objectives, there is a consistent need for calm and rules-based maritime communication to reassure stakeholders and support crisis management.
Communication can function as a maritime security capability when it reduces fear and supports management at sea.
The Philippine experience also challenges the assumption that deterrence and enforcement are sufficient to maintain regional stability. Maritime security is shaped not only by surveillance efforts and law enforcement actions, but also by how authorities communicate at sea. Across Southeast Asia, where thousands of commercial vessels and fishing boats operate daily, communication is often the first point of crisis management.
This matters as recent regional maritime challenges range from illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (Opens in new window) to vessel accidents and competing jurisdictional claims. In many situations, the objective is not simply to direct vessel movements or issue warnings, but to prevent misunderstanding and reassure those operating in uncertain conditions. The authority and credibility of the messenger can become as important as the message itself.
The Philippine experience suggests that trust-building and reassurance through communication should be recognised as a maritime security capability. Investing in women communicators, alongside technological and operational capabilities, strengthens a more resilient and cooperative maritime environment.
About the author
Joy Dianne Gumatay
Joy Dianne Gumatay is a Senior Strategic Communications Officer with the Philippine Coast Guard.
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