A timeline: Philippine Navy rides waves of frigates deal

It’s nearly the end of a long journey for the Philippine Navy’s acquisition of its first ever multi-role frigates, envisioned to be the first line of maritime defense in protecting the country’s vast territorial waters.

The Philippine government had signed a deal with South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries in October 2016 for two missile-capable frigates worth P16 billion. It was supposed to usher in an era of a credible maritime force for the Philippine Navy, which it has been dreaming of for a long time.

The frigate acquisition project, however, had been fraught with controversies. One of the contentious issues is the selection of the combat management systems, which until now has raised the biggest questions that hounded the project—how has it been settled if it was at all and did the contractor keep its promises? If not, how would the Philippine government handle it? Was the project the best-value-for-money for taxpayers?

This timeline looks back at key events that marked the Navy’s most ambitious effort to build up its fleet.

References:
DND/ AFP/ Philippine Navy documents
Inquirer archives
Philippine News Agency
Senate hearing, Feb 2018
House of Representatives hearing, March 2018
MaxDefense Philippines Facebook page
PCOO
Interviews/ press briefing transcripts