Naval Reserve Forces of the Philippines

The Philippine Navy Reserve Forces consists of the Ready Reserve Force and the Philippine Navy Affiliated Reserve Units(PNARUs). During peacetime, administrative control of the reservists fall under the Philippine Navy Naval Reserve Command(NAVRESCOM) while during wartime, the mobilized reservists come under the control of the Philippine Fleet and the Philippine Marines.

As of 2001, Philippine Marine reserves include eight(8) Marine amphibious reserve batallions with two marine reserve batallions based in Manila and the rest scattered all over the Philippines. The main marine reserve unit is the 4th Marine Reserve Brigade with 2 reserve batallions based in Fort Bonifacio.

The Ready Reserve Force of the navy consists mostly of Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps(NROTC) graduates of 18-35 years old beefed up by older experienced reservists in the 36-56 year old category and selected retired navy officers.

The Ready Reservists are currently grouped into seventeen(17) naval squadrons. Each squadron is a brigade sized unit of about 1,800 men. These reserve squadrons include the following: 101st squadron(Poro Point), 201st squadron(HQ, Philippine Navy), 202nd squadron( ), 302nd(Batangas City), 303rd(Legaspi city),401st(Puerto Princesa city), Cebu city (501st,502nd), Zamboanga(601st, 602nd, 603rd, 604th), Davao city(701st, 702nd, 704th), 706th(Cagayan de Oro city), 801st (IloIlo city)

The Philippine Navy Affiliated Reserve Units(PNARUs) are actually civilian Fishing and Shipping companies that will be mobilized during wartime as whole units, that is, their men and assets will remain under the administrative control of their civilian owners. They will, generally, fight in the geographical area where they are based and, hence, they will fall under the operational control of the respective naval reserve squadrons mentioned above.

The assets of the civilian PNARUs as of 2001 include 373 big fishing boats and trawlers, 2 tankers, 1 barge, 96 Dive boats for scuba divers(civilian SEALs), seven(7) yachts, four(4) amphibious trucks, one(1) Ferry boat, one(1) MD 500 helicopter, one(1) tugboat, ten(10) high speed 34 knot Ferries of Aboitiz(300 passenger capacity each). There are numerous other ship and air assets of the PNARUs not mentioned here

Generally, the active reservists from the NROTC will bolster the ranks of the various Philippine Navy ships while the assets and men of the PNARUs will assist the transportation, logistical and recon units of the Philippine navy.

Another separate naval reserve force is the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary(PCGA). The PCGA is a supplementary arm of the Philippine Coast Guard and its primary mission is to assist the PCG in securing and promoting safety of life and property at sea and in the protection of the marine environment. It is divided into 10 district commands comprising 150 squadrons. This non-government organization has approximately 20,000 volunteers.

The Manila Yacht Club also known as the 101st PCGA squadron is the biggest coast guard auxillary squadron with 70 power boats and yachts supported by civilian helicopters and planes.Another big coast guard auxillary squadron is the 4th PCGA squadron in Puerto Princesa, Palawan equipped with dive boats, speed boats and seaplanes.

Lastly, the Bantay Dagat(Sea Patrol) forces composed of Filipino fishermen has over 100,000 volunteers that not only keep a lookout for illegal fishermen ,but also report any suspicious foreign intruders. The Bantay Dagat volunteers have assisted the Philippine Navy and Coast Guard many times in catching foreign intruders in Palawan, Cagayan, Isabela, Leyte and other coastal provinces.

Data on the PNARUs came from the article "Mobilization of the Philippine Navy Ready Reserve Units" by Commodore Mechano(PN)

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