BANGKOK, 04 APRIL 2025 - Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel, the Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas (BRP) Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301), is on a historic and maiden port visit in the Port of Laem Chabang, Chonburi Province, Thailand, on 01-03 April 2025, as part of its Tri-Country Port Visit to Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam, aimed at promoting stronger maritime cooperation in ASEAN.

BRP Gabriela Silang and its crew, headed by Commanding Officer Captain Eleizer G. Ibarrientos, together with a PCG delegation led by Vice Admiral Edgar L. Ybañez, Deputy Commandant for Operations, arrived in Thailand on 01 April 2025 to a warm welcome by the Thailand Maritime Enforcement Coordinating Center (Thai-MECC).

Philippine Ambassador to Thailand Millicent Cruz Paredes was a Guest of Honor at a cocktail reception on board the BRP Gabriela Silang on 02 April 2025, hosted by the PCG with the support of the Thai-MECC.

In her remarks, Ambassador Paredes emphasized the significance of the PCG’s first-ever port visit to Thailand as a gesture of true friendship between the Filipino and Thai peoples, who are connected by the seas and a shared maritime heritage as fellow seafaring and maritime trading peoples, as well as ASEAN member states.

Ambassador Paredes highlighted that the PCG’s port visit takes place within a year of the 75th Anniversary of the establishment of Philippines-Thailand diplomatic relations on 14 June 2024.

Remembering the recent earthquake that hit the region on 28 March 2025, Ambassador Paredes said: “With our brothers and sisters in Thailand and Myanmar in our minds and hearts, I invite everyone to come together tonight to show unity and solidarity among neighbors. Recent events have reminded us that being there for our friends and neighbors, especially in their time of need, is ever so important and meaningful.”

She further commended the PCG and the Thai MECC for their collective efforts in fostering regional maritime collaboration in the Southeast Asian region.

Ambassador Paredes concluded her remarks by honoring the men and women of the PCG who bravely protect and defend the Philippines’ maritime interests and thanked them for their outstanding service to the Filipino nation. Recalling the valiant example of the vessel’s inspiration, revolutionary woman leader and national hero Gabriela Silang, the Ambassador gave due recognition to the senior female PCG officers in attendance, including Lieutenant Junior Grade Diane Porcelin as the most senior female crew member of the vessel, expressing the hope that someday, a woman captain would helm the BRP Gabriela Silang.

Representing the Royal Thai Government was Vice Admiral Arpa Chapanont, Royal Thai Navy, Director of the Thai-MECC, who conveyed his deep appreciation for the PCG port visit as a testament to the enduring partnership and shared vision of the Philippines and Thailand for safer, more secure, and more stable regional waters. Vice Admiral Arpa said that the visit will lead to more cooperation between the PCG and Thai-MECC. Thailand will host the 2025 ASEAN Coast Guard Forum in June.

Finally, the officers and crew of the BRP Gabriela Silang treated distinguished guests including the Ambassador of Viet Nam to Thailand H.E. Pham Viet Hung, members of the diplomatic corps and defense and naval attaché corps in Bangkok, Thai government officials, and members of the Filipino community in Thailand, to a Filipino “fiesta” filled with Filipino food, song, and dance such as, tinikling, maglalatik, La Jota Moncadeña, pandanggo sa ilaw, and the Igorot traditional dance.

The BRP Gabriela Silang is the first offshore patrol vessel and, currently, the second largest and most modern vessel of the PCG. The vessel will depart Thailand for Malaysia on 03 April 2025 for the second leg of its tri-country port visit on 08-10 April 2025 and, thereafter, will proceed to Viet Nam on 14-17 April 2025. END