The Philippine Navy (PN) officially welcomed its second and final José Rizal-class guided-missile frigate, the future BRP Antonio Luna (FF 151), in an arrival ceremony held on 26 February at Pier 13 in South Harbor, Manila, after the maiden crew finished its mandatory quarantine period at Subic Bay.
The 107.5 m-long warship, which had arrived in the Philippines on 9 February after leaving the facilities of South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in Ulsan four days earlier, is expected to be commissioned in March and join first-of-class BRP José Rizal (FF 150).
The PN officially welcomed its second and final José Rizal-class guided-missile frigate, the future BRP Antonio Luna (FF 151), in an arrival ceremony held on 26 February at Pier 13 in South Harbor, Manila. (Philippine Navy)
Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Loumer Bernabe said he believes the PN is “on track towards a better and more capable Philippine Navy”, noting that the arrival of Antonio Luna is “a step closer to a modern and multicapable naval force”.
In this context, PN Chief Vice Admiral Bacordo was quoted as saying, “From the decommissioning of PN legacy assets to our continuous effort in upgrading our fleet, the Philippine Navy is fully committed to become a more credible unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.”
The frigate was handed over to the PN a month ahead of the contractual delivery date of 6 March, said the service, adding that HHI provided “additional equipment and sustainment items, more training activities, and ship-design improvements, which are over and above its contractual obligations”.
The vessel, which was launched in November 2019, completed sea acceptance trials off Ulsan on 18 December 2020.
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