Joel Sarsiban Garcia

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

Early life and education Admiral Garcia was born and raised in Bago, Negros Occidental, He also served as a professor in Maritime Administration and Environmental Economics in the PMMA Graduate School.

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. 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.

Awards

Coast Guard Legion of Honor (Degree of Maginoo)

Distinguished Service Medal

Meritorious Achievement Medals 2 Coast Guard Bronze Cross Medals

Coast Guard Merit Medals

Coast Guard Command-at-Sea Badge