In a press briefing on Tuesday, Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, emphasized the need for more modern naval assets for the Philippines amid mounting security threats.
“We have submitted proposals for two more corvettes, I believe, or two more frigates,”
– Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad
“That need was noticed by the Philippines years ago. That’s why our Re-Horizon 3 includes more corvettes, more ships, and other anti-submarine warfare capabilities,” he added.
In January this year, President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr approved the “Re-Horizon 3” – a revised defence programme with a US$35 billion budget that reinforces the shift in Manila’s approach to national security.
Trinidad announced the plan days after “Ufa”, a Russian Kilo-class diesel-electric submarine, surfaced in the South China Sea to the west of the Philippines late last month.
The Russian vessel from a port call in Malaysia was spotted 148 km (80 nautical miles) west of Occidental Mindoro province, in the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone.
In light of the incident, Trinidad emphasized that the Philippine Navy is actively working to enhance its capability to detect submerged submarines within the country’s sea lines of communication.
“Undersea warfare is a complex mix of different capabilities, details of which I could not divulge yet. But we leave it up to the Department of National Defense what particular capability for undersea warfare we would prioritize,” Trinidad said.
To date, the Philippine Navy has two missile frigates—the BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150) and BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151)—which are also capable of anti-submarine warfare.
Two guided missile corvettes, along with six offshore patrol vessels, are currently under construction by South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. The Philippines Navy is considering the procurement of variable depth sonar systems for these vessels, such as Thales’ CAPTAS, as Naval News learned during ADAS 2024.
Security analyst Chester Cabalza, who heads International Development and Security Cooperation, a Manila think-tank, said that the PN upcoming new anti-submarine vessels are important for the Philippine Navy to protect its features in the West Philippine Sea, Manila’s name for the part of the South China Sea within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
On Wednesday, December 4, China blocked four Philippine vessels that attempted to “intrude into the territorial waters” surrounding the shoal – known as Huangyan Island in China and Panatag Shoal in the Philippines.
According to a statement by the Philippine Coast Guard, they were conducting “a routine maritime patrol” along with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to support Filipino fishermen in the area when they were subjected to “aggressive actions” from several Chinese coastguard vessels and two ships from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy.
Two other PCG ships within the vicinity—the BRP Teresa Magbanua and BRP Cabra—also encountered CCG and PLA Navy vessels making “dangerous maneuvers”. Teresa Magbanua was shadowed by a PLA warship at a distance of 300 yards.
Manila already filed a diplomatic protest against Beijing.
In the past, Beijing has been accused of employing aggressive tactics against Philippine ships in the South China Sea in a bid to assert its territorial claims in the contested waters.
National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said the government is considering deploying its Navy ships in the disputed waters.
“We hope that the People’s People’s Republic of China does not see our diplomatic actions or our peaceful actions as cowardice. We do not want to be sending signals to China that they can do what they want simply because we do not want to escalate. No, it is they that first deployed the PLA ship. Therefore, it is now also within the rights of the Philippines. And we reserve that right to deploy our Philippine Navy ships in the future,” He said.
China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, including areas also claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.
