Repaired ships fail Philippine Navy test

Anything less than 100 percent just would not do for the Philippine Navy.

The fighting force on water delayed deployment of six newly repaired ships after getting  less than perfect results from a weapons test-fire conducted in Bataan over the weekend.

Commander Hilarion Cesista, training and evaluations officer of the Fleet Operations Readiness Training Evaluations Group, said the exercise yielded a 98-percent level of readiness.

He said measures had to be taken to achieve 100-percent readiness before the vessels could be deployed.

The ships subjected to the weapons test-fire were the BRP Iloilo, BRP Tagbanua, BRP General Mariano Alvarez, BRP Liberato Picar, BRP Hilario Ruiz and BRP Filipino Flojo.

The onboard weapons that were tested included antiaircraft guns, 25mm naval guns and heavy machine guns.

The test-fire was conducted after the ships underwent system repairs at the naval shipyard in Sangley Point, Cavite City.

Held 15 nautical miles off Luzon Point in Mariveles, Bataan, the exercise had the vessels take turns firing off all their weapons at a floating target.  Dona Z. Pazzibugan