House rep seeks US donation of ship named after Battle of the Philippine Sea | ABS-CBN

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House rep seeks US donation of ship named after Battle of the Philippine Sea

House rep seeks US donation of ship named after Battle of the Philippine Sea

ABS-CBN News

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USS Philippine Sea (CG58) handout photo, US NavyUSS Philippine Sea (CG58) handout photo, US Navy

MANILA — A congressman is asking the US government to donate guided missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG58) to the Philippines when it is decommissioned, saying doing so would be “apropos and relevant” to issues in the West Philippine Sea.

The Philippines has in the past received ships and other equipment from the US. The equipment, referred to as excess defense articles, are transferred either through grants or sale.

Ships transferred to the Philippines from the US have mostly been from the US Coast Guard, including the BRP Valentin Diaz (PS177) and BRP Ladislao Diwa (PS178) commissioned into the Philippine Fleet in 2023. 

“I am sure that it will be a big asset in our efforts to defend our territorial waters, our sovereign rights, and our personnel and fishermen from intruders,” Cagayan De Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said in a release Tuesday.

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He said he has written to US State Secretary Antony Blinken, US Defense Secretary Lloyd James Austin III and US Ambassador to Manila MaryKay Carlson about the request.

The ship, a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, is the second US Navy ship named after the World War II Battle of the Philippine Sea and is "projected for inactivation" in Fiscal Year 2025, according to the Naval News website.

USS Leyte Gulf (CG55), another missile cruiser named after a World War II naval battle in the Philippines, was decommissioned in September.

Rodriguez said, the donation “will be a very good gesture and it will further strengthen the iron-clad commitment and strong friendship between the United States of America and the Philippines.”

The Philippine Navy has tested launching missiles from its fast attack boats and has two guided missile frigates — BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150) and BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151).

The Philippine military has made upgrading its external defense capabilities a priority amid tension in the West Philippine Sea, where China claims sovereignty over features despite a 2016 arbitral ruling that its sweeping claim over the South China Sea has no basis in international law.


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