The BRP Gener Tinangag and BRP Domingo Deluana during their christening at the Philippine Navy’s Pascual Ledesma Naval Station on May 8, 2023. The new two gunboats built by Israel Shipyards Inc. are fast-attack interdiction craft platforms delivered to the Philippines on April 11, 2023. (INQUIRER.net / Ryan Leagogo)
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Zamboanga del Sur – The Naval Forces Western Mindanao is hosting the weeklong all-Filipino military training dubbed as “Exercise Pagsisikap 2023” that kicked off on Saturday in Pilas Island, Hadji Muhtamad town, Basilan.
Rear Admiral Donn Anthony Miraflor, commander of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao, said almost 900 Navy personnel from different commands in the country are participating in the exercise.
“Exercise Pagsisikap is a yearly event in the Philippine Navy, it revolves within the Naval Forces commands to enhance our naval capability like amphibious operations, maritime interdiction, surveillance, reconnaissance and we always incorporate civil military operation in every military exercise to include medical and humanitarian missions,” Miraflor said.
Navy Lieutenant Chester Ross Cabaltera of the operations division said 127 officers, 748 enlisted personnel, and around 30 navy reservists are participating in the exercise, utilizing the newly acquired 13 naval assets and one aircraft for the exercise.
“We are also utilizing a number of patrol boats and our MPAC (multi-purpose assault carriers). We also deploy medical teams in case we encounter accidents while performing the exercise at sea,” Cabaltera said.
Miraflor said it took them some time to plan the exercise including the coordination with the local government units of Hadji Muhtamad town.
“My instruction, once we culminate the exercise, ensure that everything is left intact, in case our navies accidentally destroy anything in the said island, we will replace or rehabilitate it but rest assured nothing will be destroyed or will be harmed during the exercise, dapat masaya yung pinanggagalingan nating exercise,” Miraflor added.