All systems are
still a GO.
Vice Admiral
Ronald Joseph Mercado’s sacking for being the Flag Officer in Command (FOIC)
was just a bleep in the radar/sonar so to speak in the much delayed
modernization of the Philippine Navy. The President has named Rear Admiral
Robert Empedrad as acting Philippine
Navy FOIC.
Department of
National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana gave the assurance after an issue has taken with respect to the
Philippine Navy leadership, that has raised an alarm regarding the possible
delay in the delivery of the Philippines first two missile-armed frigates,
which are designed to be capable of engaging surface, subsurface and air
threats.
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| Hyundai Heavy Industry (HHI)HDF-3000 was the design from which the Philippine Navy frigate will be patterned.(photo credit Maxdefense) |
"The frigate
(project) has not been delayed. Tuloy-tuloy siya (It is continuing) and
delivery time is still the same (first quarter of 2020) and we are going to
process that," Lorenzana said.
Hyundai Heavy
Industries and the Philippine government represented by the Philippine Navy
signed a PHP18 billion contract for two frigates including its weapon systems
and munition last Oct. 24, 2016.
But the Defense
Secretary also acknowledged that the frigate program still has a lot of
challenges to hurdle before being completed.
Some of the
roadblocks along the way are how to prepare and train PN personnel to man and
operate these modern ships, where to dock them, and where to source the
missiles and torpedoes which are the frigates' main armaments aside from its
main guns and secondary gunnery systems.
So we have to
process that so that pagdating ng frigate ay may bala (na siya)," he
added.
The acting FOIC,
has expressed his thanks to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for naming him as the
one who will lead the Philippine Navy following the relief of Vice Admiral Ronald
Joseph Mercado after Defense Secretary
Lorenzana cites his lost of trust
and confidence on the integrity and leadership of Vice Admiral Mercado. *
Some have pointed
out that Mercado has this preferred company to provide the combat management
system (CMS) on the country's frigate project. The lull time on what particular
manufacturer to utilize for the two frigates has delayed the project for at least
four months, the Defense Secretary earlier said.
Report from PNA
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