Navy postpones ceremony for missile-firing frigate

June 17, 2020

The Philippine Navy postponed the christening and commissioning ceremony for its first missile-firing frigate which arrived on Monday even after a crew member tested negative for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) after initially being found to be positive.

 Philippine Navy flag officer in command, Vice Adm. Giovanni Carlo Bacordo on Tuesday said the South Korean-built ship, which arrived in Subic Bay , will have to be on 14-day quarantine.

"One of the ship crew was tested positive which was later tested and proved to be negative, but because of standard operating procedures.... though the crew was tested negative the whole ship will have to undergo the 14 day quarantine based on the time that he was tested positive,'' said Bacordo.

"Out of all who were swabbed, only turned one out positive.So we conduct confirmatory swabbing at AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) Medical Center he proved (to be) negative,'' he said.

''So now based on that we started to count 14 days, so the TIAC (technical inspection and acceptance committee) can now conduct TIAC. I think the earliest they can conduct is July 16....July 17, they will not have enough time to conduct TIAC properly," Bacordo explained.

"Because of the counting of the 14 days it left the TIAC with so little time before the commissioning. So in order not to hurry the... conduct of the technical inspection, we recommended (the ceremony) to be postponed yet," he added.

Bacordo said the next schedule for the blessing and commissioning of the vessel which is expected to be attended by President Rodrigo Duterte is not yet scheduled.

"There is no schedule yet. We have to redo the letter request to the president," he said.

The first missile-capable frigate of the Philippine Navy which will be christened Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas (BRP) Jose Rizal, once it is commissioned to the service arrived in the country from South Korea last month.  Robina Asido/DMS