The Department of National Defense is eyeing more warships for the Philippines, but the next purchase has not been approved. On Tuesday, Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. said there is intent to acquire additional vessels, while making clear that the trigger has not yet been pulled.
Teodoro made the remarks at a congressional budget briefing, where he was asked whether the agency plans to buy two more missile frigates from South Korea. He did not confirm a deal. Instead, he left the matter open, saying the department wants the ships but has not finalized any acquisition.
The timing matters because the Philippines is in the middle of a P2-trillion military modernization program over the next decade, and naval power remains central to that effort. The buildup is tied to China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea, including areas inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, which has kept pressure on Manila to keep adding capable ships.
South Korea has become a key supplier in that push. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. has already delivered two Malvar-class missile frigates, has two more under construction, and has two Rajah Sulayman-class offshore patrol vessels in active service, with four more in the pipeline. That track record makes any future warship order likely to draw close attention, even though the latest remarks stop well short of a signed deal.
The friction is plain: the Department of National Defense is signaling interest, but the actual purchase decision is still pending. That leaves the Philippines with a clearer sense of where its navy wants to go than of how quickly it will get there.
