FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City—The American vessels that the government
bought and turned into warships may not have impressed a public awed by
modern Chinese ships now guarding the contested Scarborough Shoal in the
West Philippine Sea.
But Vice Admiral Alexander Pama, Navy flag officer in command, on
Saturday said the vessels’ size and age should not really matter. He
said the Navy is upgrading its technology, not in response to the
standoff at Scarborough, but as part of a scheduled upgrade that was
started several years ago.
Yet improving the Navy’s technology also requires enough time for its
personnel to familiarize themselves with modern equipment, he said,
after addressing the cadets comprising the Philippine Military Academy’s
“Gabay-Laya” Class of 2016.
“Even if I had all the money in the world, I myself will not be
getting all the top-of-the-line equipment [immediately] … the reason
being there has to be some form of transition. You are used to riding a
bicycle or a tricycle and suddenly you buy a Mercedes Benz,” Pama told
the Inquirer.
In his speech, Pama said: “The constant challenge we face, as with
the rest of the other branches of service, is the urgent need for our
capacity-enhancement and capability-building in the face of regional and
transnational threats.”
Amid scarcity of resources, he said the government had found ways of
securing the cutters BRP Del Pilar PF-15 and BRP Alcaraz PF-16, which
would be commissioned in December.
He said the government is also buying frigates and has improved the country’s coast watch systems.
“There has to be a sort of transition for our people to acquire the
necessary knowledge and skills and that’s even more important than
acquiring anything else,” he said.
When asked, Pama said public impressions were correct about the Navy’s outdated equipment.
He said the shoal standoff had drawn policymakers to the demands of beefing up the country’s fleet.
“Admittedly, the military did not receive proper attention for a
while, which is understandable because the government has other
priorities,” he said.
The new warships were former US Coast Guard vessels, which were
outfitted and sold to the Philippines without their weapon systems.
Pama said these vessels “serve our purpose, the purpose being the
size of the ship [enables the Navy] to bring it to patrol areas when
before, navigating these seas had been difficult for the older vessels.”
“Just because [these vessels are] X number of years, it does not mean they are useless. They are not,” he said.
“The size of the ships conforms with our operational demands. It’s
not that new but then again, it’s an easier step to transition into the
necessary skills [for operating modern vessels],” he said.
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Vincent Cabreza | Philippine Daily Inquirer | May 27, 2012 | Article Link
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