THE largest vessel acquisition of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the multi-role response vessel (MRRV) 9701, arrived in the country at the Port Area in Manila on Saturday morning, February 26, 2022.
PCG officers and personnel led by PCG Officer-in-Charge Vice Admiral Eduardo D. Fabricante were present during the arrival of the ship.
The ship is the first of two 97-meter MRRVs under the Department of Transportation's (DOTr) Maritime Safety Capability Improvement Project Phase II, a Japanese-assisted project funded by an Official Development Assistance Loan from Japan International Cooperation Agency.
The PCG said each of the vessels has a maximum speed of not less than 24 knots, an endurance of not less than 4,000 nautical miles, and is capable of conducting sustained maritime patrols in the country’s maritime jurisdictions.
The MRRVs are modeled after the Japan Coast Guard Kunigami-class vessels.
MRRV-9701 will be named Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas (BRP) Teresa Magbanua and will be used to assist operations of PCG Task Force Pagsasanay.
Magbanua was an Ilonnga schoolteacher who participated in the Philippine Revolution, the Philippine-American War, and during World War II or the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. Magbanua was dubbed the "Visayan Joan of Arc."
The ship is expected to improve the PCG's maritime security and maritime safety capabilities.
"Lubos po kaming nagagalak dahil nandito na ang pinakamalaking barko ng Philippine Coast Guard. Nagpapasalamat kami sa ating mahal na Pangulong Rodrigo Roa Duterte at kay DOTr Secretary Art Tugade sa kanilang patuloy na pag-agapay at pagsuporta sa modernisasyon ng PCG," Fabricante said.
(We are very happy because the largest ship of the Philippine Coast Guard is here. We thank our dear President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and DOTr Secretary Art Tugade for their continued accompaniment and support for the modernization of the PCG.)