The Armed Forces will hold on Wednesday a rare parade at sea to display its brand-new lethal equipment to protect the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty as part of the 85th founding anniversary
Sixty-three warships and aircraft will be assembled in the coast off Morong, Bataan in a fleet review never seen in many years as the military upgraded its capability to be at par with Southeast Asian neighbors.
Philippine Air Force FA-50 light fighter jets and AW159 and 109 attack helicopters will fly-by as the Philippine Navy’s guided-missile frigate, off-shore patrol vessels and a Landing Dock ship will steam in Manila Bay in a grand show to be witnessed by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and military chief General Gilbert Gapay.
Lorenzana said the fleet review was an opportunity to show the people how much the armed forces had improved under President Rodrigo Duterte, getting the respect from other countries.
“Para malaman ng bayan na marami na rin tayong gamit pandigma,” Lorenzana told journalists. He planned to join military brass aboard BRP Tarlac, a landing dock vessel, to view the fleet review.
Congress has been allocating P25 billion every year from the national budget to modernize the military, which practically lost its external defense capability in the 1990s after the United States pulled out from Clark and Subic.
For a long time under dictator Ferdinand Marcos, the military relied on the US security umbrella for external defense as the Philippines focused on fighting internal security threats from Maoist-led rebels and separatist Muslim guerrillas.
Next year, Congress allocated P33 billion for the modernization, increasing the annual appropriation by P8 billion to restore funds diverted this year to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) response.
The military also gets about P2 billion from the proceeds of property leased by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) as well as military assistance from its oldest ally, the United States.
In the last two months, the US transferred to the Philippines more than $60 million worth of equipment, like a C130 Hercules plane, drones, sniper rifles and precision-guided missiles and bombs.
Since 2015, the US has given more than P34 billion in equipment and training, the highest share in East Asia, to improve the country’s maritime domain awareness and counter-terrorism capabilities.
Military spokesman Navy Captain Jonathan Zata said the fleet review was not necessarily a show of force seen in other countries during sec the national day parade, like in Russia, China and North Korea, displaying missiles, tanks and parading soldiers.
“It’s just to tell our kababayans that this is where your support to the AFP is going. Steadily, we are becoming a more capable force that our maritime nation can be proud of,” he said.
Lieutenant Commander Maria Christina Roxas, the navy’s spokeswoman said: “We’re just showing, some sort of, the credible defense posture of the AFP.”
Zata said the guided-missile, semi-stealth frigate BRP Jose Rizal, the ex-US coast guard cutter BRP Ramon Alcaraz, and ex-British Royal Navy corvette BRP Emilio Jacinto will be the main attraction in the fleet review.
Four other non-surface combatant vessels, the Landing Dock ship BRP Davao Del Sur, the ex-Australian heavy landing craft BRP Batak, ex-US coast guard vessel BRP Abraham Campo, and the presidential yacht BRP Ang Pangulo.
The army and marine armored vehicles, like the amphibious Armored Assault Vehicles and Israeli-refurbished M113 armored fighting vehicle, will be displayed aboard BRP Batak.
There will be 36 fixed wing and rotary aircraft flying above the ships steaming in a formation. Three FA-50 fighter jets, two AW-159, three AW-109 multi-purpose attack helicopters and two of the six newly-delivered S70i Blackhawk helicopters are expected to fly-by during the ceremony.
For her part, Roxas said the BRP Tarlac (LD 601) will be passing the formation of displaying ships in the opposite direction during the fleet review with fly by.
“Sasalubungin ni LD-601 yung mga surface assets natin, to include din pati yung mga air assets,”said Roxas.
Roxas said this will be not the first time a fleet review will be held in the country. “We had one before but it was a long time ago,” she said.
But this will be the first for the Navy to have a fleet review along with the Philippine Air Force and Philippine Army.