PH Navy joins India drills; sends Miguel Malvar-class ship in a first

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Navy has deployed one of its Miguel Malvar-class ships in India to participate in naval drills there for the first time. 

Navy spokesperson Capt. Marissa Martinez on Tuesday said the BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG-006) left the country on Feb. 5 to participate in the third International Fleet Review this week and multilateral naval exercise “Milan” 2026 in a major coastal city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

“The Philippine Navy sends off a contingent for the historic first naval exercise in India,” Martinez said in a regular press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo.

Aside from the Philippines, 21 other countries are participating in Exercise Milan, including the United States, Australia, France, Japan, South Korea, United Kingdom, Russia, and Vietnam.

Following the Indian Navy’s invitation, Martinez said the Navy sent a FFG-006 with a 115-man contingent to participate in several drills like joint patrols, humanitarian and disaster response activities, and also other activities related to surface warfare.

A number of these drills are expected to take place off the city of Visakhapatnam, which faces the Bay of Bengal, a strategic maritime area between the northern Indian Ocean and the Malacca Strait.

For international relations expert Don Mclain Gill, it is important for the country to “look west” to advance its interests.

“This would also be an opportunity for thePhilippines to deepen its footprints, particularly the eastern Indian Ocean,” Gill, lecturer at the De La Salle University’s Department of International Studies, told Inquirer in a phone interview on Tuesday. “It is very important for the Philippines to look west.”

“We need a more visible footprint in that area, particularly because we are the top providers of sailors and most of them traverse through the turbulent waters of the Indian Ocean,” Gill said.

“Second of course is the fact that a bulk of our OFWs are also positioned in the greater Indian Ocean region and, at the same time, wehave to be more prudent of ensuring that we are on top of the security of the vital sea lines of communication that straddle the two regions,” he continued, referring to South and Southeast Asian regions.

Gill also said the Navy’s participation in Exercise Milan is also a key development for a middle power like the Philippines. A middle power refer to countries below that of a superpower (or nations which wields vastly superior military influence over all other states) and a great power (or countries with significant diplomatic, economic, and military strength), but with sufficient ability to shape international events, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

“This represents the interests of the Philippines not just as a Southeast Asian nation but a middle power of the Indo-Pacific in its own right,” Gill said, “so this is of course definitely a positive step for interoperability.”

India, for its part, started to “look east” in line with its Act East Policy, seeking to establish its standing as a regional power by cultivating extensive economic and strategic relations with Southeast Asian countries like the Philippines. 

Thanks to this strategic thrust, India has regularly conducted maritime drills with the country in the West Philippine Sea as New Delhi seeks to bolster its influence in the Indo-Pacific region. 

Most notable of the deepening bilateral military engagement is Manila’s acquisition of its medium-range supersonic cruise missile from New Delhi. 

Meanwhile, Martinez previously announced that the Miguel Malvar-class frigate will also participate in Australia’s largest maritime exercise this year.

However, she said it remains unclear if the Navy will send the same FFG-006 guided-missile frigates at that time. 

Aside from BRP Miguel Malvar, the Navy has another Miguel Malvar-class frigate, namely BRP Diego Silang (FFG-07). 

These guided-missile frigates with 3,200-ton displacement and equipped with antiship, antisubmarine, and anti-aircraft capabilities. /das /mr

CAPTION: BRP Miguel Malvar begins its journey to India on Feb. 5, 2025, pulling away from the pier as the military band plays a final salute and the crew waving  on deck.

/das /mr /jpv