3 World War II barko ng Navy, pinagretiro na

By: Joy Cantos

Pilipino Star Ngayon, Friday, December 10, 2010

MANILA, Philippines - Sa kabila ng kakulangan sa multi-bilyong pondo para sa Mo­dernization Program ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), tatlong lumang mga barko na panahon pa ng World War II ang pinagretiro na ang ope­rasyon ng Philippine Navy kahapon.

Ayon kay Philippine Navy Spokesman Capt. Giovanni Carlo Bacordo ang PS-23 at P 29; pawang mga patrol ship ay gamit sa Internal Security Operations habang ang Patrol gunboat PG -844 ay pawang sobrang luma na at may 67 taon ng ginagamit ng hukbong dagat.

Ang naturang mga barko ay nakadaong sa Naval Shipyard sa Navy Station Pascual Ledesma sa Cavite City.

Ipinaliwanag naman ng opisyal na ang pagpapatigil sa paggamit ng naturang mga barko ay dahilan sa masyadong magastos ang magmintina ng mga lumang barko na panahon pa ng World War II bukod sa masyado na itong mabagal at maraming depekto.

“They are impossible to maintain due to old age,” ani Bacordo kung saan sa kabuuang 53 patrol ships ay 25 lamang ang ma­aring magamit sa patrol ope­ration­.

Samantalang nabatid naman kay Captain Noel de Vera, Commander ng Naval Shipyard na aabot lamang sa P35- M ang pondo­ para sa pagmamantine ng may 102 barko ng Philippine Navy kaya’t importanteng maisulong ang mo­dernisasyon ng naturang hukbo.

Vintage Navy ships taken off the shelf

By: Victor Reyes

Malaya, Friday, December 10, 2010

THE Navy yesterday decommissioned three vintage ships.

It is coordinating with the donors of the two patrol ships and a patrol gunboat prior to selling these as scrap metal.

Parts of these vessels have already been removed and used for other Navy ships.

"If we needed spares, we just goet them from these (now decommissioned ships)," said Capt. Giovanni Carlo Bacordo, Navy spokesman.

"They are beyond economic repair. It will entail a lot of cost if they are going to be revived so we preferred to remove them from the inventory of the Philippine Navy," said Bacordo.

Bacordo also said the decommissioning of the ships would not have effect on the Navy’s operational capability because these have not been used for a long while, remaining idle at Sangley Point in Cavite City, home of the Philippine Fleet.

He said the two patrol ships, PS 29 or BRP Negros Occidental and PS 23 or BRP Datu Marikudo, were donated by the US after the World War II and are 67 years old.

The gunboat (PG 844 or BRP Jose Artiaga) saw action with the Philippine Navy in 1993 after their donation by South Korea. It is about 30 years old.

With the decommissioning of the three ships, the Navy is left with 99 patrol, transport, and auxiliary ships and small craft, many of them also ageing. Of the number, 54 are operational, the Navy said.

Navy decommissions 3 WW II patrol boats

By: Alexis Romero

Philippine Star, Friday, December 10, 2010

SANGLEY POINT– Three World War II-era Navy patrol boats given by the United States were decommissioned yesterday.

Navy spokesman Capt. Giovanni Bacordo said the 67-year-old patrol boats, which saw action in World War II, will be sold as scrap metal.

“We have a Navy disposal committee,” he said.

Capt. Noel de Vera, Navy shipyard commander, said they have to get approval from the Armed Forces chief and the Joint United States Military Advisory Committee (JUSMAG) before they can proceed with the bidding.

The Navy disposal committee is still assessing the value of the decommissioned vessels, he added, Bacordo said only four of the 10 Navy auxiliary ships are operational.

Among the 32 small craft, 23 are operational, with an average age of 21 years old, he added.

Bacordo said the Navy budget cannot bankroll the purchase of new assets because 70 percent of the outlay goes to the salary of personnel.

The rest is for maintenance and operational expenses, he added.

Navy data showed that out of the 53 ships in the inventory, only 25 are operational.

These patrol boats are, on average, 36 years old.

The bigger ships like mine sweeper frigates and patrol craft escorts are 66 and 67 years old.

PH, Royal Brunei navies in joint exercises

By: Phoebe Jen Indino

Manila Bulletin, Friday, December 10, 2010

CAMP LAPU-LAPU, Cebu City, Philippines — The Ambassador of the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam to the Philippines, Her Excellency, Malai Majah Haji Yussof, along with officers of the Royal Brunei Navy paid a courtesy visit to Lt. Gen. Ralph Villanueva, Commander, Central Command earlier this week at the start of the bilateral maritime training activity between the Philippine Navy and Royal Brunei Navy.

The Royal Brunei Navy is here for a six-day bilateral training exercises with the Philippine Navy in Cebu, from December 6 to 12.

Around 130 uniformed personnel of the Philippine Navy are expected to participate in the six-day training exercise together with some 56 officers and men of the Royal Brunei Navy.

Said bilateral maritime training exercise between the navies of the two countries is conducted every two years to enhance both their capabilities in maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

In an interview, Ensign Joseph Ison, Public Information Officer of the Naval Forces Central (NAVFORCEN), said that this year, the training will be focused largely on cross training.

Ison added that there will also be an exchange of some of the best practices from both navies. “We are expected to learn from them even as we share with them our best practices and vice versa,” he said.

Moreover, the six-day training will also include a series of lectures and demonstrations and, on the last, day, debriefing sessions will be held and plaques exchanged between members of both naval forces.

The lectures will touch on Disaster Response at Sea, Maritime Interdiction Operation and Visit Board Search and Seizure. (Phoebe Jen Indino)