‘Gregorio del Pilar’ is arriving Sunday

By Victor Reyes
Malaya, Friday, August 19, 2011

The Philippines’ newest and second warship, a Hamilton class ship acquired from the United States, is expected in Manila on Sunday.

Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Omar Tonsay said the ship, acquired under the US Excess Defense Articles program, has been named BRP Gregorio del Pilar.

Manned by 13 officers and 82 enlisted personnel under Capt. Alberto Cruz, Tonsay said the ship will be passing the San Bernardino Strait and is expected to anchor at Manila Bay around 8 a.m. Sunday.

The ship left San Francisco last July 18 and made stops in Hawaii and Guam.

"Her deployment is flexible depending on the operational plan but she will help a lot in protecting our offshore resources by increased maritime domain awareness and added response capability," AFP spokesman Commodore Miguel Jose Rodriguez said.

The Philippines’ only warship, the BRP Rajah Humabon, is a World War II vintage destroyer escort.

The BRP Gregorio del Pilar, which was launched by the US in 1967, will guard the Malampaya project in Palawan, which is the biggest foreign investment in the country.

Top military officials said the ship will also help protect the country’s maritime interests, including the disputed islands in the West Philippine Sea. The oil and mineral rich islands are being claimed in part or in whole by the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.

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PH warship heads for port

By Dona Z. Pazzibugan
Philippine Daily Inquirer,Thursday,August 18,2011

THE PHILIPPINE Navy’s newly-acquired warship, BRP Gregorio Del Pilar, arrived in the country yesterday ahead of schedule after a month-long voyage from the United States.

The refurbished former US Coast Guard Hamilton-class weather high endurance cutter will be deployed to protect the country’s natural gas and oil exploration projects off Palawan amid reported incursions in Philippine-claimed territory in the West Philippine Sea.

Manned by 13 officers and 82 enlisted personnel under the command of Capt. Alberto Cruz, the BRP Gregorio Del Pilar entered Philippine territory at 1 p.m. yesterday, a Navy spokesman said.

Around 2:30 p.m., the ship was 273 nautical miles east of Samar and was expected to pass the San Bernardino Strait off the Bicol region, said Lt. Col. Omar Tonsay.

The BRP Gregorio Del Pilar is expected to anchor drop at Manila Bay on Aug. 21 at 8 a.m. to undergo customs, immigration and quarantine inspection.

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Newest Navy Ship enters P.A.R.

By Elena Aben
Manila Bulletin, Thursday, August 18, 2011

The Philippine Navy's newest and biggest ship, Hamilton cutter class BRP Gregorio Del Pilar, has entered the country's waters, a Navy spokesman announced yesterday Lt.Col Omar Tonsay, Navy spokesman, said the PN frigate BRP Gregorio del Pilar, manned by 13 officers and 82 enlisted personnel under the command pf Capt.Alberto A. Cruz, entered the Philippine area of reponsibility at around 1 p.m. yesterday. The ship is expected to enetr to enter the Manila Bay on August 21."As a multi-mission vessel, the BRP Gregorio del Pilar will be primarily important for the Philippine Navy's maritime security and sovereignity patrols especially upon its deployment at the Malampaya projects west of Palawan,"said Tonsay.

New Navy combat vessel enters country’s waters

By William Depasupil
Manila Times, Thursday, August 18, 2011

THE country’s largest and most modern combat sea vessel, the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, has arrived in the country after a 42-day journey from the United States.

The Philippine Navy spokesman, Lt. Col. Omar Tonsay, disclosed that the vessel, formerly the US Coast Guard cutter Hamilton, entered the country’s territory around 1 p.m. on Wednesday.

“The ship will anchor in Manila Bay anchorage area on August 21 [Sunday] for Customs, immigration and quarantine inspection prior to arrival and welcome ceremony at Manila South Harbor, “ he said.

The ship is manned by 13 officers and 82 enlisted personnel under the command of Capt. Alberto Cruz, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1988.

As of 1 p.m. yesterday, the vessel was some 273 nautical miles off the baseline of Samar in Eastern Visayas.

It left the United States on July 5.

The deputy spokesman of the Philippine Navy Fleet, Lt. Jr. Grade Rommel Rodriguez, said that Gregorio del Pilar arrived more than a week ahead of its original schedule.

According to him, the ship would be repainted and installed with additional facilities and capabilities, which are cheaper to be done here than in the US.

The Armed Forces chief of staff, Gen. Eduardo Oba Jr., has said that the former US Coast Guard cutter would be used for multi-mission operations such as search and rescue and maritime security patrols, particularly in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) to protect the country’s interests that include the Malampaya Gas Project in the waters of Palawan near the disputed Spratly group of islands.

Oban said that the Hamilton was designed to endure high-sea weather and can sustain longer patrolling at sea.

“It has better and wider range radars to be able to cover a larger scope and has a fire control system that enables it to fire accurate shots even if the ship is in up and down motion, and even if the target is shaking,” he added.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said that the acquisition of the “new man-of-war” would certainly be a big boost to the Navy’s fleet, considering its multi-role capability.

www.manilatimes.net