President Aquino: Ship symbol of our defense
The Philippines’ newest warship, which sailed on Tuesday into
Manila
Bay after a 14,679-kilometer voyage from the
United States, was hailed by President Benigno Aquino III as a
symbol of the country’s determination to defend its claims in the
disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
“This is just the beginning. Expect more good news because we
will not stop at one ship,” Mr. Aquino said as the refurbished
Hamilton-class cutter BRP Gregorio del Pilar dropped anchor, ending
a 33-day voyage across the Pacific Ocean.
“This ship symbolizes our newly acquired ability to guard,
protect, and if necessary, fight for the interests of our country,”
the President said.
The 3,390-ton, 115-meter Gregorio del Pilar, a decommissioned US
Coast Guard vessel, is 46 years old. It replaces a World War II-era
destroyer as the country’s flagship vessel.
Mr. Aquino said the “new” flagship vessel would help protect the
country’s exclusive economic zone and its oil and gas exploration
activities in the contested sea.
“This will upgrade our capability to guard our exclusive
economic zone as well as the service contract areas,” he said in a
welcoming speech.
Many of those areas are claimed by China, which insists it has
sovereign rights to almost all of the disputed territory, even
waters approaching the coasts of Southeast Asian countries.
Other parts of the West Philippine Sea, including a cluster of
isles and reefs called the Spratly Islands, are believed to be rich
in oil and mineral resources and straddle
vital
sea
lanes. They are also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia,
Taiwan and Vietnam.
Revival of Philippine Navy
The Philippine Navy chief, Vice Adm. Alexander Pama, hailed the
Gregorio del Pilar as a timely boost to the Philippines’ military
power.
“[It] now symbolizes the revival of the Philippine Navy,” Pama
said at the welcoming ceremony.
“The Gregorio del Pilar’s ability to operate in adverse
conditions… will be vital in securing our maritime nation’s
territory and asserting our sovereignty in areas where our
capability is now seriously needed, he added.”
US Navy impressed
Officials said the 95 crew members of the Gregorio del Pilar
impressed the US Navy with how quickly they learned how to operate
one of the largest ships ever built for the US Coast Guard.
Led by Capt. Alberto Cruz, the 13 officers—three of them
women—and 82 enlisted personnel trained rigorously in the United
States from February before setting out for the Philippines.
“They were quite impressed with our troops,” Pama said.
An initial batch that included Cruz and 20 other officers and
enlisted personnel underwent rigorous training on board the USCG
Boutwell, a sister ship, for two months.
The 21-member team then trained the next batch of 74 crew
members.
The ship was acquired under the Mutual Defense Treaty that gives
the Philippines access to decommissioned US defense equipment.
The Philippine military’s budget of about $2.5 billion this year
is just a fraction of China’s published defense spending of about
$90 billion.
China warning
Manila clinched the deal to acquire the Gregorio del Pilar—named
after the youngest Philippine revolutionary general who fought the
Spanish and died in combat against American forces—early this year
before the tensions with China flared.
The United States has since promised to help upgrade the
Philippine military further, but no details have been released.
China’s state-run media this month warned the Philippines it
could pay a “high price” for building up its military presence in
the West Philippine Sea.
But bilateral ties remain strong in other areas, and Mr. Aquino
will pay a state visit to China next week.
Jets, armored carriers
Mr. Aquino spent nearly two hours in a tour of the vessel. A
select group of reporters were also allowed to tour the ship.
The President has set his sights on acquiring more ships,
trainer fighter jets and armored personnel carriers.
“I want everything. But what we will acquire (are) lead-in jet
trainers to keep the skill (levels) of the fighter pilots,” Mr.
Aquino said.
He also mentioned acquiring for the
Philippine
Air Force defense radars, a long-range patrol
aircraft and support aircraft.
He also cited the need for amphibious vessels, offshore patrol
vessels, at least three naval helicopters and Coast Watch
stations.
For the Army, the Philippines plans to buy new assault rifles,
armored assets and force protection equipment such as helmets,
bulletproof vests, night-fighting equipment and radios, Mr. Aquino
said.
“There’s a whole list of modernization items for the (Armed
Forces of the Philippines) and also the (Philippine National
Police) and the Coast Guard,” the President added.
Defenseless in airspace
The country has been defenseless in its airspace since 2001,
when the
Philippine
Air
Force last flew a fighter jet. The obsolete F-5
jets were decommissioned in 2005.
Mr. Aquino said the country had to carefully weigh whether
acquiring a submarine is “practical, whether or not it meets our
needs.”
He cited the experience of a Southeast Asian country, which he
did not name, that bought submarines from Eastern Europe for a
“bargain” price of $12 million.
But the buyer discovered that the submarines had to be refitted
for tropical purposes so it ended up spending the same amount it
would have spent had it bought new submarines.
Pama said the Navy planned to acquire at least two more
decommissioned ships from the US Coast Guard.
The Philippine Navy has an old and badly equipped fleet of fewer
than 80 ships to protect its coastline and vast marine interests.
The fleet is mostly made up of aging World War II vessels. AP
News
________________________________________________________
Vietnam boosts naval power with new frigate
Vietnam on Monday received the second of two Russian-made
guided
missile frigates, local media reported, boosting its
naval firepower amid maritime tensions with China.
The Gepard class frigate -- which an analyst called Vietnam's
most modern warship -- arrived at Cam Ranh port on the country's
south-central coast, reports said.
The first frigate reached Vietnam in March, state-controlled
Tuoi Tre newspaper said.
"It alters the naval game," said Carl Thayer, a veteran
Australia-based analyst of Vietnam. "A boat of that kind provides
muscle for Vietnam."
The frigates were ordered several years ago as part of a naval
upgrade by Hanoi, which is also buying six Russian submarines and
foreign-built maritime
patrol aircraft.
Beijing and Hanoi have a long-standing territorial dispute over
the Paracel and Spratly archipelagos, which are potentially rich in
oil and gas deposits and straddle vital commercial shipping
lanes.
Relations reached their lowest point in years when Vietnam in
May accused Chinese marine surveillance vessels of cutting the
exploration cables of an oil survey ship inside the country's
exclusive economic zone.
Vietnamese fishermen working in disputed waters have reported
numerous seizures of their catch and equipment in recent years.
Thayer said the new helicopter-capable frigates will back up the
fishermen with a more powerful vessel than the lightly-armed
civilian-run Chinese surveillance ships.
Other nations in the region have also accused China in recent
months of becoming more aggressive in enforcing its claims to
essentially all of the South China Sea.
The Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have also staked
claims to the Spratlys. AFP
