Guardians of the seas

The Philippine Navy formally added two fast boats to its Alvarez-class patrol vessels.

The former Cyclone-class patrol ships of the US Navy are now in service of the Philippine Fleet's Littoral Combat Force as BRP Valentin Diaz-PS177 and BRP Ladislao Diwa (PS178) in honor of two Filipino patriots who were among the founding members of the Katipunan, which ignited the Philippine Revolution against Spain in the 19th century.

Paoay, Ilocos Norte-native Valentin Diaz was also a signatory in the Pact of Biak-na-Bato while Ladislao Diwa from San Roque, Cavite was instrumental in affecting the surrender of the Spanish forces in the province.

Department of National Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro underscored that the acquisition of these vessels was a welcome and timely addition "because the sooner we can complete our littoral defenses the sooner we can pursue a more robust position in defending our sovereign rights in the 200-nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone and under jurisdictions of the Republic of the Philippines."

In March 2023 at Manama in Bahrain, the Philippines formally accepted the former USS Monsoon (PC4) and USS Chinook (PC9) following their decommissioning from the US Navy in accordance with the Excess Defense Articles program.

As Secretary Teodoro described this acquisition as a symbol of the continuing cooperation and collaboration between the Philippine and the United States. US Embassy in the Philippines Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson reaffirmed US support "as the Philippines continues its courageous stand to uphold the international order and defend its rights in the West Philippine Sea."

The Philippine Navy eyes the deployment of these vessels in "the soonest possible time" upon the completion of reactivation activities and specialized training of the crews "to ensure the optimal and efficient use of these vessels, its machinery, sensors and weapon systems."

"We can expect that soon, BRP Valentin Diaz and BRP Ladislao Diwa will inherit the critical roles played by their predecessor, BRP General Mariano Alvarez-PS38, currently deployed at Naval Forces Western Mindanao," he added.

These formidable platforms will complement the navy's fast-attack interdiction crafts and multipurpose attack crafts in carrying out various naval, support to law enforcement, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations within the littoral waters of the country's porous borders and vast maritime environment.