Gun system to be installed in PCG ships patrolling West PH Sea

This handout taken and released on December 4, 2024 by the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) shows a China Coast Guard ship (R) deploying water cannon at the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel BRP Datu Pagbuaya (L) near Scarborough Shoal in disputed waters of the South China Sea. | Photo by Handout / National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea

MANILA, Philippines — A gun system will soon be installed in Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) largest ships, often used in West Philippine Sea patrols.

Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for West Philippine Sea, on Friday said these systems will be installed on the two 97-meter multi-role response vessels (MRRV) in their fleet, BRP Teresa Magbanua and BRP Melchora Aquino.

“In terms of weapon system, the Coast Guard has scheduled the installation of the 30-millimeter remote controlled stabilized naval gun system on our 97-meter vessels,” Tarriela said in his speech during an event commemorating the 9th anniversary of the 2016 Arbitral Award.

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The PCG has since procured another five 97-meter MRRVs from Japan, the first of which are expected to arrive in 2027.

Security expert Chester Cabalza said gun systems on the MRRVs would put teeth on white ships, which he noted serves a dual purpose.

“The Philippine white ships are unique in our legal and administrative systems that it can wear dual-use responsibility as law enforcers in our EEZ and internal waters and prime protectors of our seas,” Cabalza, president and founder of Manila-based think tank International Development and Security Cooperation, told Inquirer on Friday. “But while it is mandated to provide equal service for maritime safety, search and rescue operations, and protection of the maritime environment, it also carries the burden of maritime security.”

PCG ships are being used to supply naval outposts in the West Philippine Sea, including the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.

In 2024, the BRP Teresa Magbanua stayed in Escoda (Sabina) Shoal for more than five months, making it the longest-deployed PCG asset in the West Philippine Sea. It had to return due to supply shortages with the China Coast Guard blocking the resupply mission for the ship, as well as the damage it sustained after being rammed by the CCG.

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“The Philippine white ships are challenged everyday by foreign aggressors,” Cabalza said. “By putting teeth on its vessels it will strengthen its mandate.”