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The Philippines strengthens maritime defences amid rising tensions in South China Sea

28th April 2025 - 09:53 GMT | by Gordon Arthur in Christchurch

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BRP Miguel Malvar was welcomed in a formal ceremony at the Subic Naval Base on 8 April. (Photo: Philippine Navy)

The Philippine Navy is fast-tracking its maritime modernisation with new warships, unmanned platforms, and international shipbuilding partnerships to bolster its regional deterrence posture.

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) has completed the first of two corvettes for the Philippine Navy (PN) some five months ahead of schedule. The 3,200t BRP Miguel Malvar was handed over late last month before commencing its delivery voyage to the Philippines.

FFG-06, the PN’s most capable warship ever, was formally welcomed at a ceremony in Subic Naval Base earlier this month April, with its commissioning expected midyear. The HDF-3200-based design bears the nomenclature of a guided-missile frigate indicating that the Philippines has reclassified it from a corvette.

The warships had been ordered for PHP28 billion (US$550 million) on

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