By Darryl John Esguerra and Priam Nepomuceno | Philippine News Agency
The Philippine Navy is set to strengthen its maritime capabilities with the launch of its third Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV), the future BRP Rajah Humabon, in Ulsan, South Korea.
The vessel is the third of six OPVs ordered by the Philippines from South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in June 2022, the Navy said in a news release Sunday.
The BRP Rajah Humabon was launched Tuesday in a ceremony attended by Philippine Navy Flag-Officer-in-Command Vice Admiral Jose Ma. Ambrosio Ezpeleta and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Rommel Roldan.
Named after the 16th-century ruler of Cebu, the vessel is scheduled for delivery in February 2027.
The 2,400-ton vessel measures 94 meters long and 14 meters wide. It has a cruising speed of 15 knots and an operational range of 5,500 nautical miles. Its equipment includes a 76-mm main naval gun, a 30-mm secondary gun, decoy launching systems, surveillance radar and electro-optical tracking equipment.
The first two OPVs in the contract are the BRP Rajah Sulayman, launched in Ulsan in June 2025 and commissioned in February 2026, and the BRP Rajah Lakandula, which entered service in June 2026.
The remaining three vessels will be named Sultan Kudarat, Datu Marikudo and Datu Sikatuna, with deliveries scheduled through 2028.
The Navy said the future BRP Rajah Humabon is expected to enhance the service’s maritime surveillance, maritime security and territorial defense capabilities.
“Its launching marks further progress in the OPV Acquisition Project and underscores the
continuing defense partnership between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea (ROK) in advancing the country’s naval modernization efforts,” it said.
Before the ceremony, Ezpeleta met with ROK Navy Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Kim Kyung-ryul at ROK Navy Headquarters 2 to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral exchanges, naval cooperation and collaboration in the maritime defense industry.
Kim reaffirmed the ROK Navy’s support for the Philippine Navy’s modernization efforts, emphasizing cooperation between the two navies and Korea’s maritime defense industry in advancing bilateral defense relations.
“The Republic of Korea Navy and Korea’s maritime defense industry are actively supporting the modernization of the Philippine Navy,” Kim said.
