Manila launches warship amid territorial dispute
Frigate equipped with anti-aircraft guns and surveillance helicopter
Manila: The Philippines re-launched an old US Coast Guard cutter yesterday as its biggest and most modern warship to guard potentially oil-rich waters that are at the centre of a dispute with China.
President Benigno Aquino witnessed the commissioning of the 3,390-tonne Philippine navy frigate BRP Gregorio del Pilar in an austere Manila pier ceremony that he said symbolised his country's struggle to modernise its underfunded military despite many obstacles.
"As an archipelago with 36,000 nautical miles of coastline, it's important for us to have an adequate and formidable defence to guard our islands," Aquino said.
He added such a security shield could no longer be mounted "with dilapidated vessels and old and faulty equipment".
As a navy brass band played, Roman Catholic priests sprinkled holy water on the deck of the newly repainted warship, equipped with anti-aircraft guns and a newly refurbished surveillance helicopter on the flight deck. Three navy planes flew over and officials broke a bottle on the bow as the ship went into commission.
Renewed tension
Already spread thin while fighting decades-long Muslim and communist insurgencies, the 125,000-strong military has begun to focus on territorial defence amid renewed tension over long-simmering territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
The Philippines, a US defence treaty partner, has relied on Washington to acquire better surveillance and patrol ships and aircraft. Aquino said the Philippines would acquire another US Coast Guard cutter soon. He also plans to seek used fighter jets from Washington when he visits there next year.
In March, two Chinese vessels tried to drive away a Philippine oil exploration ship from the Reed Bank, an area west of the western Philippine province of Palawan. Two Philippine air force planes were deployed, but the Chinese vessels had disappeared by the time they reached the submerged bank.
The Philippines protested the incident, which it said was one of several intrusions by China into its territorial waters in the first half of the year. Vietnam has also accused Chinese vessels of trying to sabotage oil exploration in its territorial waters this year, sparking rare anti-China protests in Vietnam. China denied there were any intrusions, saying it has sovereignty over those waters.
