Newly acquired corvette from South Korea arrives in PH

The Philippine Navy on Tuesday welcomed the arrival of its newly acquired corvette from South Korea that will be named after a Filipino revolutionary general, according to the Department of National Defense (DND).

In a statement, the DND said Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. led the arrival ceremony for the future BRP Miguel Malvar at the Naval Operating Base in Subic, Zambales.

“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.

The ship measures 118.4 meters long and 14.9 meters wide and is also equipped with anti-ship missiles, a vertical launching system, and an active electronically scanned array.

This is part of the P28-billion contract signed between the DND and Hyundai Heavy Industries in December 2021.

For Teodoro, the arrival of the newly acquired corvette is a “critical step” toward developing a self-reliant and credible defense posture.

"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,” he said.

“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.

Teodoro said the DND and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are focusing on the following key areas:

• developing core capabilities and strategic basing
• identifying continuous sources of revenue for sustainment
• training and education
• integrating domain awareness and multi-threat response systems

“This includes, not only investing in capabilities, but once again, training capable and competent people in the appropriate technical skills,” Teodoro said.

The DND chief also recognized the Republic of Korea for its support.

“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 said.  —VBL, GMA Integrated News