Manila: The Philippines is due to receive its third frigate by November this year under the United States programme to transfer excess defence articles.

According to the US Coast Guard news website, the US government was to transfer the cutter, Boutwell, on Thursday.

The US Coast Guard base in Alameda, California, was mentioned as the venue for the tranfer ceremonies. “The decommissioned cutter was declared an excess government asset and is being transferred to the Philippines through the Excess Defence Articles programme,” the website said.

Upon its transfer to the Philippine government, the Boutwell would be named after one of the country’s most famous sons, Andres Bonifacio, who fought against Spanish colonialists during the latter part of the 1800s.

The Boutwell was decommissioned on March 16 after serving the US Coast Guard for 50 years. It is the US Coast Guard’s longest-serving cutter and was named after the former Secretary of the Treasury, George Sewall Boutwell.

Under the US excess defence articles programme, excess US military equipment can be transferred to foreign governments or international organisations.

The last excess defence articles transfer by the US to the Philippine government saw some 114 M113 armoured personnel carriers being handed over in December 2015.

Upon commissioning to the Philippine Navy in the latter part of this year, the soon-to-be BRP Andres Bonifacio will join two other similar classed former American coast guard cutters, the BRP Gregorio Del Pilar and BRP Ramon Alcaraz, which were acquired in 2011 and 2013, respectively.

Although it may not be as modern as its counterparts serving in the navies of neighbouring countries, the new ship is a welcome addition to the Philippine fleet, which for years has had to make do with antiquated vessels, some of which served during the Second World War.

Over the past several years under the administration of President Benigno Aquino, the Philippines has undertaken major acquisitions to improve its naval as well as overall military capability.

In May, the Strategic Sealift Vessel (SSV), the 7,200 metric tonne BRP Tarlac entered service.

Unlike other ships in the Philippine Navy, the BRP Tarlac was acquired brand new from Indonesia. A second vessel of the same class is slated to enter service by 2017.

Strategic sealift capability is crucial in the Philippines, an archipelago nation that is frequently visited by natural disasters.

Large enough to accommodate several helicopters and landing crafts, the BRP Tarlac will be a big boost to the navy’s capability to conduct humanitarian response and disaster relief operations, according to Rear Admiral Ronald Joseph Mercado, commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command.

With one of the biggest coastlines in the world, the Philippines lack of capability to patrol and secure its sea territories has enabled China to gain a foothold in some of its islands located in the South China Sea, particularly Scarborough Shoal, which is located less than 200 nautical miles from Olongapo, on the country’s westernmost tip.

The Philippines was on July 12 granted a plea by the UN arbitral court in the Hague, Netherlands, the right to exploit resources in areas it claims in the South China Sea. However, despite the ruling, China continues to oppose the ruling and continues to insist on its “historic rights” over the strategically important sea territory.