ONE of the corvettes that the defense department ordered from a South Korean shipbuilder under the AFP Modernization Program has arrived in the country, bolstering the country’s territorial defense capabilities.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr yesterday led ceremonies for the arrival of the ship, which will be named BRP Miguel Malvar, at the Naval Operating Base in Subic, Zambales.
The shipped arrived on Friday. It will undergo a series of sea trials before it will be formally commissioned into the Philippine Navy.
The two corvettes are capable of anti-ship, anti-submarine and anti-air warfare missions, ordered by the Department of National Defense from Hyundai Heavy Industries. The P28-billion contract was signed in December 2021.
The second unit, which will be named BRP Diego Silang, was launched last month at the shipyard of Hyundai in Ulsan.
Teodoro, in his address, said the arrival of the ship is a critical step towards developing a self-reliant and credible defense posture.
“Miguel Malvar is here today not only to serve as a deterrent and protector of our waters, but also as an important component in joint and combined operations as we work alongside allies and uphold the norms of international law,” he said.
“One of the hallmarks of an investment horizon for this country is the blue economy. How can you develop a blue economy if you do not have a strong navy?… You need a strong navy as an anchor, as a backbone, as a spine of the blue economy. So, this is our offering to those that went before us, to the heroes who went before us, who we will honor tomorrow,” he also said.
The Philippine Navy said the ship that arrived last Friday is 118.4 meters long, has a range of 4,500 nautical miles, a cruising speed of 15 knots, and a maximum speed of 25 knots.
“Armed with advanced sensors and weapons systems, it is also capable of anti-ship, anti-submarine, and anti-aircraft missions,” said acting Navy spokesman Captain Benjo Negranza.
“As the newest addition to the Philippine Navy fleet, the future BRP Miguel Malvar strengthens the country’s maritime defense and marks another milestone in the ongoing AFP modernization program,” added Negranza.
Negranza could not immediately say when the sea trials will be completed and when the ship will be formally commissioned.
Asked how long the sea trials will last, Negranza said, “That depends. There are a lot of factors that should considered.”
Negranza said declined to say when the second corvette will be delivered.
There are reports that the unit might be delivered in the coming months.
The Armed Forces’ modernization program calls for the acquisition of warships, aircraft and other equipment needed for external defense operations.
The program is being implemented amid China’s continuing aggression in the contested West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea.
In a press briefing at Camp Capinpin in Rizal, Navy spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said 40 Chinese vessels were monitored at three features in the West Philippine Sea last month.
Twenty of the Chinese vessels — 14 Coast Guard and eight Navy — were monitored at Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc and Panatag Shoal. China gained control of the shoal in 2012.
Trinidad said six Chinese Coast Guard vessels were sighted at the Philippine-occupied Ayungin Shoal.
At the unoccupied Sabina Shoal or Escoda Shoal, seven Chinese Navy and five Chinese Coast Guard vessels were also monitored, said Trinidad.
Trinidad said the presence of these Chinese vessels inside the country’s 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is illegal. “They have been there so we keep on challenging them,” he said.
“We have been conducting our patrols on sea and on air to show that we are not deterred by their presence within our EEZ,” Trinidad said.
