The Philippine Navy received today BRP Miguel Malvar, the first of its two guided-missile corvettes from South Korea, amid China’s growing aggression in the South China Sea.
Gilberto Teodoro Jnr, Manila’s Defense chief, led the arrival ceremony at the Naval Operating Base in Subic, Zambales of BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG-06).
“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,” Teodoro 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 added.
The Miguel Malvar-class corvettes offer enhanced capabilities over the Jose Rizal-class frigates. At 118.4 meters long and 14.9 meters wide, they cruise at 15 knots with a range of 4,500 nautical miles. Equipped with C-STAR anti-ship missiles, VL MICA vertical launch systems, and 3D AESA radar, they feature advanced weaponry.
Its sister ship, the BRP Diego Silang, was launched in Ulsan, South Korea, last month but has yet to depart for the Philippines.
Teodoro outlined four key focus areas for the Department and the Armed Forces of the Philippines: developing core capabilities and strategic basing, securing sustainable revenue sources, enhancing training and education, and integrating domain awareness with multi-threat response systems.
“This includes, not only investing in capabilities, but once again, training capable and competent people in the appropriate technical skills,” the defense chief said.
“We thank our reliable partners, the people and the government of the Republic of Korea… not only in providing capabilities but in building sustainability, redundancy, and resilience through actual capital investments,” Teodoro added.
The Philippine Navy has already begun to bolster its capabilities, receiving two Acero-class patrol gunboats from Israel, equipped with advanced missile systems.
Initially announced in 2012, the Philippine Navy’s modernisation plan aimed to acquire a robust fleet, including six anti-air warfare frigates and three attack submarines. Yet, as of this year, it only operates two modern frigates – the BRP José Rizal and BRP Antonio Luna – alongside a handful of other vessels, leaving it vulnerable in a region fraught with tension.
In January last year, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. allocated US$35 billion for military modernization, approving the ‘Re-Horizon 3’ initiative to prioritize naval upgrades over the next decade.
Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad earlier said that the two modern navies will be primarily deployed to the West Philippine Sea, Manila’s name for the part of the South China Sea within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
A security expert, however, said that while Manila can develop its deterrent capability with the support from its long-time ally, the United States, it will not be enough to deter China.
“But based on my understanding of the goal of the AFP modernization program, its goal is only to develop minimum credible force, minimum credible force to defend ourselves,” Rommel Banlaoi, head of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research and a lecturer at Miriam College in Manila, said as quoted by ANC television.
“And that is not enough to deter China, even for the United States. You know, it’s very difficult for the United States to deter China. Now, as you can see from the behavior of China, China is not deterred at all,” he added.
China has been accused of employing aggressive tactics against Philippine ships in the South China Sea, such as firing water cannons and using high-intensity lasers, in a bid to assert its territorial claims in the contested waters.
Banlaoi said in order to prevent the worst case scenario from happening, Manila and China have to meet halfway and deal with the situation diplomatically.
“And if the agenda of the Philippines is to increase our capability to protect our sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea, it can be done through diplomatic means with China or through our own indigenous patrol,” Banlaoi said.
