MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Navy yesterday commissioned three missile-capable multi-purpose attack craft (MPACs), the first-ever gunboats with high littoral combat capabilities to join the Philippine Fleet.
After the commissioning rites of the locally produced MPACs at Sangley Point Naval Base in Cavite City, the three gunboats were immediately dispatched to Davao City.
Navy spokesman Capt. Lued Lincuna said the three brand new MPACs were sent to Davao for the Navy’s 119th founding anniversary naval parade on May 31 at the Sasa Wharf.
The Subic Bay-based Propmech Corp., the shipbuilder that built the Navy’s logistic and supply ship BRP Tagbanua, constructed the MPACs for P270 million. The fund was sourced from the Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Act Trust Fund.
The contract includes day/night electronic navigation systems, communication suites, safety-of-life-at-sea and propulsion system and seamanship and ship-handling gears.
The vessels are also fitted with provisions for anti-missile armament, which the Navy will source from Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd.
Navy chief Vice Admiral Ronald Joseph Mercado said the installations of the missile systems would follow shortly.
When fully armed with anti-ship missiles capable of penetrating 39 inches of rolled homogeneous armor on a range of five miles, the MPACs will be joining the 3rd Board Attack Division of the Philippine Fleet.
The Navy is also looking forward to two brand new missile firing frigates in three years.
South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries is building two frigates for the Philippines on a $337-million contract.
Arms from China, Russia
President Duterte also plans to acquire arms and military equipment from non-traditional sources like China and Russia, a move senators support.
Duterte wants to acquire missiles from Russia to be used on terror groups in Mindanao.
China recently offered a $500-million loan to the Philippines for the purchase of weapons.
Sen. Gregorio Honasan, chairman of the Senate committee on national defense and security, said such acquisition is OK as long as the military hardware is consistent with what is prescribed in the Armed Forces’ Table of Organization and Equipment, which details the military’s capability.
Sen. Richard Gordon said he does not see any problem with making arms purchases from Russia and China.
“If we need it, then why not?” Gordon said, adding if he had his way, Duterte should also work on acquiring a submarine to help protect the country’s territorial waters, including those surrounding the Kalayaan Island Group in the South China Sea and Philippine (Benham) Rise on the eastern side of the country.
“Getting arms or getting these items from other sources, I find nothing wrong with that,” Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, for his part, told reporters. – With Paolo Romero