MANILA -- Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Nesthy Petecio and fellow Olympian Elreen Ann Ando were welcomed by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in an oath-taking ceremony at its national headquarters in Port Area, Manila on Thursday.

"Nesthy and Elreen, we welcome you in the ring of public service, especially in taking care of the safety and security of the Republic," Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said in a post shared by the Coast Guard’s Facebook page.

• Olympics: Gallant Petecio claims silver medal after loss to Japan's Irie

Petty Officer Third Class (PO3) Petecio and Apprentice Seawoman (ASW) Ando will join the Coast Guard Special Service Office (CGSSO), one of the PCG units at the national headquarters.

The two applied to become part of the PCG even before they competed at the Tokyo Olympics.

Petecio, who hails from Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur, graduated with an Associate Arts degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Baguio in May 2019.

She won the Philippines’ first silver at the Tokyo Games and the country’s first Olympic medal in boxing since the 1996 Games in Atlanta, when Mansueto "Onyok" Velasco won silver in light flyweight.

The Davao native also won a gold medal at the AIBA Women’s World Boxing in 2019 and competed at the Asian Games held in Incheon, South Korea in 2014. She also ranked second in the women’s featherweight (57 kilograms) division at the AIBA World Rankings.

• Filipino Olympian profile: Lifter Elreen Ando credits ‘ate’ Hidilyn for Tokyo trip

Meanwhile, weightlifter Ando is currently taking up BS Criminology at Cebu University. Before competing in the Tokyo Games, Ando won two silver medals at the Asian Championship held in Uzbekistan early this year and at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines.