MANILA – The Philippine Navy welcomed on April 8 its newest warship, a 118.4-meter long vessel that will later be commissioned as the BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG06).
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., Armed Forces of the Philippines chief General Romeo Brawner Jr., Navy Flag Officer-in-Command Vice Admiral Jose Ma. Ambrosio Ezpeleta, Philippine Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Joe Anthony Orbe, and the vessel’s commanding officer Paul Michael Hechanova led arrival ceremonies at the Naval Operating Base Subic in Zambales.
“BRP Miguel Malvar is here today, not only to serve as a deterrent and as a protector of our waters, but also as an important component—not only in joint operations, but in the equally important combined operations—as we learn with other countries to work with one another, in the spirit of upholding norms of international law,” said Teodoro.
He also emphasized key areas of focus in the country’s defense strategy: developing core capabilities and systems, ensuring sustainable revenue sources for sustainment, continuous training and education of personnel, and integrating domain awareness and response systems to establish a unified, multi-domain defense posture.
The warship arrived from South Korea on April 4. Measuring 118.4 meters long, it has a range of 4,500 nautical miles, cruising speed of 15 knots, and 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.
Teodoro noted the Philippines’ enduring partnership with the Republic of Korea, thanking them for their continued support in building sustainable, resilient, and job-generating defense capabilities.
“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,” he said.
Named after the Filipino general who served in both the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine-American War, BRP Miguel Malvar, is part of a two-ship deal with South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries in 2021.
Its sister ship, the BRP Diego Silang, was formally launched in Ulsan, South Korea, last month but has yet to begin the journey to the Philippines.
The shipyard also supplied the country’s first two Jose Rizal Class guided missile frigates in 2018. Punto News Team/PR
