MANILA, Philippines – Naglabas ng dagdag na P3 bilyong pondo ang Department of Budget and Management (DBM) para sa pagbili ng anim pang offshore patrol vessels (OPVs).
Ang Special Allotment Release Order (SARO)-BMB-D-23-0017230 ay inilabas ng DBM sa Department of National Defense (DND) “to cover the funding requirement for the Offshore Patrol Vessel Acquisition of the Philippine Navy under the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program.”
Inilabas noong Hunyo 16, 2022 ang unang SARO para sa OPV project.
Noong Hunyo 28, 2022 ay pinirmahan ng DND at South Korean shipbuilder na Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) ang P30 billion OPV contract na naglalayong magbigay ng anim na barko sa PN.
Pinirmahan ito ni dating DND Secretary Delfin Lorenzana at HHI vice chairperson and president Sam Hyun Ka.
Layon ng OPV project na mapalakas pa ang kakayahan ng Philippine Navy sa maritime patrol, kabilang ang technology transfer, partikular ang human engineering operators at maintenance training ng mga kagamitan, operations training, technical publications at manuals.
“In addition to this is a design ownership, granting the PN license to manufacture/build using the OPV’s design for the exclusive use of the Philippine government,” sinabi naman ni DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong.
Ang OPV project ay isinaprayoridad sa ilalim ng Second Horizon ng Revised AFP Modernization Program, na inaprubahan ni dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte noong Mayo 2018. RNT/JGC
