A Bacoleña, who is the first female Commander of the Coast Guard Aviation Force, is one of this year’s 15 Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) awardees.
Commodore Christine Pauline Bergaño-Diciano is being honored as a TOWNS 2025 Awardee for Maritime Law Enforcement and Public Service, TOWNS Foundation Inc. announced on Wednesday.
Bergaño-Diciano is from Barangay Sum-ag, Bacolod City.
“With nearly 24 years of service in the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), she has shattered glass ceilings — becoming the first female Commander of the Coast Guard Aviation Force, the first and only female PCG Air Station Commander under West Philippine Sea Oplan Matatag,” TOWNS Foundation said.
She is also the youngest female commander in Philippine military or law enforcement aviation.
Beyond her operational excellence, she institutionalized gender-responsive reforms in the PCG, from setting up VAWC (Violence Against Women and their Children) and PWD (Persons With Disabilities) desks nationwide to advocating the inclusion of the hijab in the PCG uniform manual, a reform recognized by the United Nations Human Rights Commission, TOWNS Foundation said.
”Her story is proof that integrity, service, and leadership know no gender. As she soars higher, she carries with her the pride of the nation and the promise of more inclusive maritime governance,” it added.
Bergaño-Diciano told DIGICAST NEGROS she studied at Sum-ag Elementary School and finished her high school studies at La Consolacion Bacolod on a scholarship.
She was class salutatorian in elementary and high school.
Bergaño-Diciano obtained a bachelor’s degree in computer science at the University of Saint La Salle.
When she graduated from college in 2001 the PCG opened its doors to the first females, Bergaño-Diciano said.
So she became part of the first batch of female members of the Philippine Coast Guard.
He mother Luzlilia Bergaño was a nurse while her father is retired Ensign Dominador Bergaño of the Navy and PCG.
The Outstanding Women in Nation’s Service (TOWNS) award is presented by the TOWNS Foundation to outstanding Filipino women ages 21 to 50 years old.*