The Philippine Navy commissions its second missile-capable frigate, BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151), on Friday in what Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana calls 鈥渢he advent of our future fleet towards having a modernized and multi-capable鈥� Navy.聽
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The Philippine Navy officially commissioned its second missile-capable frigate, BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151), on Friday, in what Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana called as 鈥渢he advent of our future fleet towards having a modernized and multi-capable Navy.鈥�
NOW: Commissioning and christening of BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151), the Navy鈥檚 second missile-capable frigate built by South Korea鈥檚 Hyundai Heavy Industries
鈥� Frances Mangosing 馃嚨馃嚟 (@FMangosingINQ)
鈥淢alaki ang kahalagahan nito dahil noong una, noong nakaraang panahon, wala man lang tayong pang-patrolya sa West Philippine Sea. Noon kasi pang-patrolya natin yung mga World War 2 vintage,鈥� Lorenzana said on the sidelines of the commissioning ceremony at South Harbor.
(This is significant because, in the past, we didn鈥檛 have ships that can patrol the West Philippine Sea. We used to patrol with World War 2 vintage vessels.)
鈥淜ung binibigyan tayo ng barko ng Amerikano, tinatanggal muna nila ang armas so ito 鈥榶ung medyo capable. Pwede na natin 鈥榙yan聽iharap sa mga kung sino man ang mananakop sa West Philippine Sea,鈥� he said.
(Whenever the Americans donated their ships, they removed the weapons first, so this one is relatively capable. We can now face invaders in the West Philippine Sea.)
Lorenzana looked back at the time when he was an Army junior officer and he was asked to discuss the need to modernize the Philippine Navy.
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 take a genius to see that this country needs a strong Philippine Navy. You know we are an archipelago and we need the Navy very much then and now,鈥� he said.
The BRP Antonio Luna is the second of the two missile-capable ships built by South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries for P16 billion. Its sister ship, the BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150), entered service last year.
Launched in November 2019 in Ulsan, South Korea, the Antonio Luna is a 2,600-ton, 107.5-meter warship capable of anti-air, anti-surface, anti-submarine, and electronic warfare.
The Navy said Friday鈥檚 ceremony marked the official completion of the frigate acquisition project. Other dignitaries at the event were South Korean ambassador Kim In Chul, Armed Forces chief Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, acting Army chief Jose Faustino Jr., and other top Navy officials. Descendants of Antonio Luna were also invited.
Lorenzana recalled that there was a time that he thought the frigate acquisition project would 鈥渘ever materialize鈥� because of several problems, which included the selection of the combat management systems.
The issue drew national attention and even prompted the Senate and House of Representatives to conduct hearings.
鈥淏ut I鈥檓 glad we hurdled all those problems and now we are here looking at the fulfillment of the dream of not only the Navy but also the entire country,鈥� he said.
鈥淚to ngayon, the Hyundai Heavy Industries will emplace the all the CMS yung combat management system yan in due time, wala pa ano? Meron na compatible,鈥� Lorenzana said, likely referring to the Link 16 requirement, which was one of the contentious issues of the frigate acquisition project.
Earlier, the South Korean government gave a sovereign guarantee to support the shipbuilder to fulfill the Link 16 requirement for the CMS.
More ships needed
Lorenzana said they are eyeing to acquire more brand new vessels in the future, including offshore patrol vessels (OPV), corvettes and landing docks.
The Navy has started decommissioning its World War 2 assets, even without immediate replacements, to give way to its modern fleet.
鈥淎ng nasa forefront ng procurement (for the OPV) is the Australian Austal which is in Cebu. Meron silang branch 鈥榙yan na gumagawa din ng barko so kung matuloy maganda rin yan sa ekonomiya,鈥� Lorenzana said.
(The Australian Austal in Cebu is at the forefront of the procurement. They have a branch there, so if it pushes through it will help our economy.)
鈥淚 hope we can sign the contract before the end of the President鈥檚 tenure. Medyo matagal 鈥榶ung proseso niya so hindi niya na makikita yung OPVs, pagkatapos na niya (The process is quite long, so it would not be delivered under his term. It will happen later),鈥� he said.