Navy official: Shipyards upgrade is for upcoming warships

MANILA, Philippines -The ongoing upgrade of the Philippine Navy' shipyards, bases and dry-docks is preparation for the arrival of the  country's brand-new warships, a ranking Navy official said Wednesday.

Commodore Jose Renan C. Suarez, Navy Patrol Force commander, said that the improvement of such structures makes the Navy more capable of maintaining upcoming frigates the Department of National Defense are planning to acquire for P18 billion.

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"Having these (maintenance) capabilities will allow us to extend the life cycle of our brand-new [ships] by another 30 years," Suarez said in a state news agency report.

He explained that modernizing the shipyards allows the Navy to maintain and upgrade on its own without outsourcing such services.

The country, however, has recently acquired two Hamilton-class cutters BRP Ramon Alcaraz and BRP Gregorio del Pilar previously in service in the United States.

Suarez said the new frigates, armed with anti-ship and anti-air missiles,  will be more superior than the earlier cutters which are so far only equipped with 76-mm main guns.

The Navy's modernization runs amid the threat of China's claims on the country's costal territories in West Philippine Sea.

Dennis Blair, former commander of US Pacific Command, recently said that the Philippines has to "widen its concept of its own defense requirements" in preparation for external threats. - Camille Diola