The Philippines took delivery of its first ever guided missile frigate at the weekend to protect its seas against threats, the presidential palace said, as China’s neighbors race to empower their Coast Guard fleets amid increasing tensions in the South China Sea. “The arrival of the country’s most advanced warship, delivered during this administration, is a testament to President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s commitment to modernize our armed forces,” his spokesman Harry L. Roque said in a statement on Sunday. “This forms part of the national leadership’s initiative to enhance the country’s defense capabilities to secure our seas against current threats,” he added.

Cortez, G. M. (2020, May 25). Philippines says most advanced ship to shield seas from threats. BusinessWorld, p. S1/11.