Navy’s missile-capable warship completes Pacific Rim exercise

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Navy’s BRP Jose Rizal, the military’s first missile-capable frigate, has participated and completed high-level naval drills in the 2020 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) naval exercises held in Hawaii.

After 15 days of drills and activities, the event held every two years ended yesterday, giving the warship the needed experience that tested its capabilities.

Ten countries sent 22 ships, a submarine, multiple aircraft, and 5,300 personnel including 125 from the Philippines to join the naval exercises.

Philippine Navy chief, Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo, said the BRP Jose Rizal and its crew completed the WAR at Sea Exercise (WASEX) which is “our last serial for RIMPAC 2020, and will be entering Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hawaii on Sept. 1.”

He said there were no reported safety and security incidents and no weapons, communications, electronic and information, system, hull, machinery and electrical system derangements reported.

“FF150 completing all given serials of the exercise demonstrates her capability to handle various operational requirements,” Bacordo said proudly.

He said the BRP Jose Rizal and its crew did not fire any missiles as the Philippine Navy did not participate in the Sinking Exercise or SINKEX.

Overall, Bacordo said the frigate and its crew “completing all serials in the RIMPAC 2020 given to FF150 shows the competence and capability of our ship and crew to undertake various maritime operational scenarios, may it be multinational operations (with other partner nations), maritime security of commercial shipping, or operating on its own or with its onboard helicopter against surface and sub-surface adversaries.”

He noted that the BRP Jose Rizal “took advantage of RIMPAC 2020 to train as a team, put the ship at pace with possible real world scenarios, and the crew to gel during this time.”

Bacordo said US Navy Third Fleet Commander, Vice Admiral Scott Conn, even praised the Philippines in a media forum for doing “a phenomenal job.”

“I would say, upfront, we are very happy to have the Philippines participating in RIMPAC with their ship, Jose Rizal,” Conn said.

Bacordo said the RIMPAC 2020 held from Aug. 17 to 31 is an important exercise because the BRP Jose Rizal and its crew get the chance to test the warship and personnel capabilities.

The military’s brand new frigate acquired from Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries boasts of anti-air, anti-surface, anti-submarine and electronics warfare capabilities.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana had earlier said that President Duterte has barred the Philippine Navy from participating in naval exercises with other countries if the same are held in the South China Sea since this may raise tensions in the disputed waters.

“President Rodrigo Duterte has a standing order to us, to me, that we should not involve ourselves in naval exercises in the South China Sea except our national waters, the 12-mile distance from our shores,” he said.

The RIMPAC, however, is considered as the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise held every two years in Honolulu, Hawaii hosted and administered by the United States Navy’s Indo-Pacific Command.