Philippine vessels sail to Hawaii for joint maritime exercises

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)’s BRP Gabriela Silang joined a multinational group sail with a Philippine Navy (PN) vessel and ships from four other countries, as they traveled from Guam to Hawaii to participate in the world’s largest maritime warfare exercise Rim of the Pacific Exercise 2026 (RIMPAC 2026).

BRP Gabriela Silang was joined by the PN’s BRP Miguel Malvar, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s JS Kongo, Italian Navy’s ITS Giovanni Delle Bande Nere, South Korean Navy’s ROKS Cheon Ja Bong and Singapore Navy’s RSS Steadfast.

Together, the six ships departed Guam last Friday to start their voyage to Hawaii for RIMPAC 2026 taking place from June 24 to July 31.

The vessels are expected to arrive in Hawaii on June 21.

“The activity underscored the participating nations’ shared commitment to promoting maritime security, ensuring freedom of navigation, and advancing cooperation in support of a rules-based international order. Through coordinated maneuvers and professional engagements at sea, the participating forces enhanced mutual understanding, strengthened operational readiness, and improved their collective ability to address common maritime challenges,” the PCG said.

Led by its commanding officer Capt. Jomark Angue, the BRP Gabriela Silang carries 98 PCG personnel from their Special Operations Force, Cyber Security Command, Search and Rescue, humanitarian team, information team and medical team that would be participating in different exercises.

Around 30 countries are expected to participate in RIMPAC 2026.

Meanwhile, the Philippines reaffirmed its economic partnership with Japan, underscoring Tokyo as a constructive supporter of transparent, non-discriminatory and rules-based multilateral trading system. — Pia Lee-Brago