Philippines to get S. Korea anti-sub warship

MANILA, Philippines - South Korea will transfer a used Pohang-class anti-submarine warship to the Philippines this year in return for a token $100, the defense department said yesterday, boosting its capability to patrol vast maritime borders.

Outside long-time treaty ally the United States, South Korea has been the largest source of Philippine military hardware, from fighters and patrol ships to armored vehicles and army trucks.

Manila received two FA-50 light fighters from Seoul Wednesday and two more will be delivered next month to complete the 12-aircraft, P18-billion deal.

The Philippines has expressed interest in acquiring six more similar planes.

“We are hoping to receive the vessel within the year,” defense spokesman Arsenio Andolong said of the warship.

“The transfer will be in the form of a donation. We will pay a token $100, but the corvette will still undergo refurbishment,” Andolong said.

He said he has no idea how much the Philippines would need to spend to repair and restore the warship.

Andolong said the Philippines may acquire up to three such warships, which Seoul is replacing with newer and faster vessels.

“This may be an old ship but it will definitely enhance our capability to patrol our waters and perform counterterrorism measures,” he added.

South Korea has donated a lot of military hardware to the Philippines and has expressed gratitude for Manila’s role in the 1950-53 Korean War.

Some observers described the warship donation as a sweetener as the Philippine government is now heavily dependent on South Korea for big-ticket items needed by the military.

There are reports that the defense department will be spending P200 million for the decommissioned South Korean warship to be fully combat-capable.