Tolentino wants PH to acquire submarines, Pintados fleet

Senator Francis Tolentino BIBO NUEVA ESPAÑA/SENATE PRIB

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Francis Tolentino wants the Philippine government to upgrade its maritime fleet by acquiring more submarines.

“China is bullying us because we are lacking resources, especially naval resources. What we need are submarines,” said Tolentino, chairperson of the Senate’s special panel on maritime and admiralty zones,  in a statement on Tuesday.

READ: Submarines in next phase of PH military upgrade

“The importance of submarines would lie in the ability of submarines to have undetected, reconnaissance, surveillance and strategic deterrence. It would be an advantage to have submarines. They resurface every 80 days,” the senator explained.

In relation to this, Tolentino said Isaac Peral, the inventor of the Peral submarine launched in 1888, once resided and died in the Philippines.

READ: PH wins arbitration case over South China Sea

But how about the submarine he invented? Tolentino said it is “still patrolling the seas being used by NATO forces.”

Meanwhile, during the special recognition for media personalities covering the West Philippine Sea also held Tuesday, Tolentino aired his suggestion to “create a Pintados unit” in the Philippine Navy.

“My suggestion to the Philippine Navy is for them to have a Pintados unit, Pintados fleet, or if they can BRP Pintados. Right? It’s for us to remember our past that we are not always the underdog,” he said.

Tolentino’s remarks came in light of China’s incursions in the West Philippine Sea.

China’s aggression is in line with their sweeping claim over most of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, which has been debunked by a historic arbitral ruling in 2016.