President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has promoted Christine Pauline Bergaño-Diciano, the first female pilot of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), to the rank of Commodore following the recommendation of Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Vince Dizon.
Commodore Bergaño-Diciano is a proud alumna of the Coast Guard Officer’s Course (CGOC) “A” Matatag Class 02-2001 and a member of the pioneering batch of female officers in PCG history.
She made history in 2005 as the first female Coast Guard pilot and began her inaugural flight mission in 2006.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she played a critical role in aerial missions, delivering essential medical supplies to remote communities.
In 2010, under the West Philippine Sea Oplan Matatag initiative, she became the first and only female to serve as a PCG Air Station Commander.
In 2022, she was appointed as Commander of the Coast Guard Aviation Force (CGAF).
As a staunch advocate for gender inclusion, Commodore Bergaño-Diciano led the PCG’s Gender and Development (GAD) unit. She championed the inclusion of the hijab in the official uniform of Muslim female Coast Guard personnel — a move recognized by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
She also fought for the inclusion of women as rescue swimmers and drivers in the PCG.
Throughout her career, she served in various key units including the Coast Guard Education, Training and Doctrine Command (CGETDC), the Deputy Chief of Coast Guard Staff for Human Resource Management (CG-1), the Coast Guard Flag Office, the Coast Guard Internal Audit (CGIA), the Coast Guard Procurement Service (CGPS), and the Coast Guard Logistics Systems Command (CGLSC).
In 2014, she became the first Filipina to be named Asian Vice-President of the Women’s Association of the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmö, Sweden.
In recognition of her trailblazing contributions, the PCG honored her with the “Pilak Award” during the 2025 National Women’s Month celebration.
