By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — The Philippine Navy’s newest guided-missile frigate, BRP Miguel Malvar, has earned international recognition after finishing third in the prestigious Naval Surface Fire Support (NSFS) Rodeo during the 2026 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises, highlighting the country’s improving naval combat capability and operational readiness alongside allied maritime forces.
The achievement was announced Wednesday by Philippine Navy spokesperson Capt. Marissa Martinez, who described the performance as a testament to the professionalism, precision, and competence of Filipino sailors competing against some of the world’s most capable naval forces.
During the multinational live-fire event held off the waters of Hawaii on July 14, BRP Miguel Malvar engaged a virtual land target located more than 3.5 miles away using its Oto Melara 76mm Super Rapid multi-feeding naval gun, one of the ship’s primary weapons systems.
The competition brought together 15 allied warships, with rankings determined by the average accuracy of five gun salvos fired at the designated target. The Philippine vessel secured third place by recording one of the smallest average distances from the target.
Foreign defense reports identified the Republic of Korea Navy’s ROKS Daejeon as the overall winner of the competition.
The latest accomplishment marks the second time the Philippine Navy has secured a third-place finish in the RIMPAC gunnery competition, following the performance of BRP Antonio Luna during the 2022 edition of the multinational exercise.
Martinez said the participation of BRP Miguel Malvar, together with a Philippine Marine Corps amphibious company, demonstrated the Navy’s expanding operational reach and increasing ability to conduct complex maritime operations with allied and partner navies.
She added that the deployment reflected the Philippine Navy’s continuing modernization efforts and growing interoperability with regional and international defense partners.
The Philippines has been a regular participant in the biennial RIMPAC exercises since 2018, when it deployed BRP Bonifacio and BRP Davao del Sur to the multinational drills.
Hosted by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, RIMPAC 2026 gathered naval forces from 30 nations, involving dozens of warships, submarines, aircraft and thousands of military personnel in what is regarded as the world’s largest international maritime exercise.
Beyond the competition, Martinez said the Philippine Navy’s participation strengthened defense cooperation with allied nations while reinforcing the country’s commitment to building a modern, multi-domain and self-reliant naval force capable of contributing to regional peace, maritime security and the preservation of a rules-based international order.
ia/xf
