Philippines Elected Vice Chair of International Mobile Satellite Organization

Commander Mary Leizl C. Barbero, Philippine Coast Guard, Coast Guard Attache (center), IMSO Director-General Laurent Parenté (leftmost), and Kamal Al Junaidi, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the International Maritime Organization (rightmost)

LONDON 18 June 2025 — The Philippines, in the person of Commander Mary Leizl C Barbero, Philippine Coast Guard, Coast Guard Attaché (Technical Adviser), Office of the Maritime Attaché, Philippine Embassy in London, United Kingdom, was elected to the position of Vice-Chair of the Advisory Committee of the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO) for the 2025-2026 biennium on 09 June 2025 during the opening of the 51st Session of the IMSO Advisory Committee meeting held in London. Commander Barbero is a legal officer in the Philippine Coast Guard with expertise on maritime safety, maritime law enforcement, maritime security and maritime casualty investigation. She is part of the Philippine delegation representing the Philippines in various meetings at the International Maritime Organization, International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds and IMSO.

IMSO is the intergovernmental organization that oversees the performance of all components and the availability of the mobile satellite communications systems recognized by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for use in the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) and the coordinator of the Long- Range Identification and Tracking of Ships (LRIT) system. The IMSO Advisory Committee is composed of 44 member States elected from four geographical regions namely: Africa, Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe during the IMSO Assembly.

According to Ambassador Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr., Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization, “Commander Barbero’s election to serve as Vice Chair is a testament to the faith of the international maritime community, not just in her ability to lead this important body, but in the entire Philippines and the country’s leadership role in promoting maritime safety.” He added that “the selection of Commander Barbero, the PCG Attache in London,  also shows the Philippines’ commitment to promoting gender issues and the empowerment and inclusion of women in leadership roles in the maritime field.” END

For more information, visit https://www.londonpe.dfa.gov.ph  or https://www.facebook.com/pg/PHLinUK, https://twitter.com/philippinesinuk or https://www.instagram.com/philippinesinuk/.