For more than three decades, Ronnie Drio, 56, spends most of his life at sea, navigating the waters of the West Philippine Sea (WPS) not just as a source of livelihood, but as a place he knows intimately—its currents, its seasons and its risks. On Jan. 28, Drio, a resident of San Salvador Island in Masinloc town, takes on a new role. Along with fellow fishers from Zambales and nearby coastal communities in Bataan and Pangasinan, he raises his right hand and takes his oath as a volunteer member of the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA) during an oath-taking ceremony at the Peoples Development Institute (PDI) Alternative Development Center in Barangay Bulawen here.

Aglibot, J. R. (2026, February 1). Luzon fishers on front-line duty to protect West PH Sea. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A7.