PHL Navy: Ships from US for patrol, counter-terrorism ops, research

The Philippine Navy on Wednesday said that it is looking forward to the two additional ships that United States President Barack Obama promised to donate to the country.

"The Philippine Navy looks forward to the realization of the express intent of HE President of the USA Barack Obama to 'transfer two additional ships to the Philippine Navy'. We are aware that the grant will entail a process before the vessels are actually transferred to the Philippine Navy," said Colonel Edgard Arevalo, Navy spokesperson and the concurrent Commander of the Civil Military Operations Group.

Shortly after his arrival in the Philippines on Tuesday for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Obama went straight to a Philippine Navy ship and announced that the US will donate two additional ships.

The US President said one of the ships will help map territorial waters while the other will be for long-endurance patrols. He also said the latter vessel was part of a larger plan to increase military assistance to allies in the region.

Arevalo echoed Obama and said that the additional Weather High Endurance Cutter will bolster the Navy's "capability for sustained maritime patrol, and as an additional platform for counter-terrorism operations and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response."

"The research vessel on the other hand, will enhance our capability to conduct hydrographic survey and search for sunken vessel or aircraft," Arevalo added.

The vessel can also become a platform for interagency collaboration for partners in the academe to improve awareness of subsurface environment and study of the under sea region Benham Rise, the Navy spokesperson said. — Trisha Macas/BM, GMA News