The Philippine Navy (PN) has commissioned BRP Diego Silang (FFG-07), a guided-missile frigate, into active service on 2 December 2025.
The commissioning ceremony took place at Naval Operating Base Subic in Zambales, as reported by the Philippine News Agency.
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The vessel, considered the most modern in PN’s fleet, is intended to strengthen the navy’s ability to patrol and guard the country’s 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
“This (warship) will add to the capital ships of the PN that (are) capable of patrolling all the way up to our EEZ and even beyond,” West Philippine Sea spokesperson rear admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said during a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo.
BRP Diego Silang, named after Ilocano revolutionary Diego Silang, arrived in the Philippines on 8 September 2025.
The ship measures 118.4 metres (m) in length with a beam of 14.9m and has a displacement of 3,200 gross tonnes.
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By GlobalDataIt is capable of operating over a range of 4,500 nautical miles, with a cruising speed of 15 knots and a maximum speed of 25 knots.
The vessel is the second of its class acquired from South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI). It has joined its sister ship BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG-06), which arrived on 8 April and was commissioned on 20 May 2025.
The procurement contract for both ships was signed in December 2021 for 28bn pesos ($477m) when Delfin Lorenzana was defence secretary.
Additional naval assets are slated for delivery in the coming years, the Philippine News Agency reported, citing rear admiral Trinidad.
These include six offshore patrol vessels, two of which have been completed by HD HHI and are undergoing sea trials in South Korea. They also include two landing dock platforms being constructed by Indonesian shipbuilder PT PAL.
Discussions are in progress for the procurement of two more frigates, which will bring the total number of new warships expected by PN to 10.
In June 2025, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) launched the first offshore patrol vessel (OPV), BRP Rajah Sulayman (PS-20), in Ulsan, South Korea.
