Jamaine Punzalan

Article (news)

Bianca Dava

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17570619782011757061976081.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div>File photo of BRP Antonio Luna via Bianca Dava, ABS-CBN News<div> </div>MANILA — The Philippine Navy said Friday it was assessing the extent of the damage sustained by its guided-missile frigate, the BRP Antonio Luna (FF151), during a bilateral exercise in Malaysia.Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said the warship’s operational capability was not compromised.“[The assessment is] ongoing, but I would say that it did not impede the operational performance of the ship sapagkat nakita naman natin na nakauwi naman siya,” Trinidad said in a forum.Navy spokesperson Captain Marissa Arlene Martinez earlier said the BRP Antonio Luna <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/2/ph-navy-frigate-sustains-superficial-damage-in-bilateral-exercise-in-malaysia-1507">sustained minor damage</a> while “carefully maneuvering into a narrow space” during the MALPHI LAUT Exercise 2025 at the Lumut Naval Base in Perak state on August 27.Martinez clarified that the “superficial” damage was limited to the outermost portion of the ship’s portside or left side.“When I say superficial damage, I mean to say it is the outermost portion of the surface of the freeboard, it’s on the left side or portside. In naval terms, it is from waterline to the funnel—that’s the freeboard,” she explained during the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) weekly briefing at Camp Aguinaldo on Tuesday.Despite the damage, the BRP Antonio Luna continued to take part in all at-sea events of the exercise.The FF151 safely returned to the Naval Operating Base (NOB) in Subic, Zambales on Thursday, where an arrival ceremony was held.According to Trinidad, such incidents were part of the “inherent risks” faced by military personnel.“Incidents like this highlight the inherent risks of our men at sea, just like the inherent risks of our airmen in the sky and our ground troops doing patrols. Kasama ito sa sakripisyo ng ating AFP,” he noted.An assessment team was inspecting the vessel, including its weapon systems, which could take one to two weeks to complete.“Yun [damage to weapon systems] pa ang inaalam sa ating assessment team. Hindi pa naman tapos kasi it will be a thorough assessment that will be conducted,” Trinidad told reporters.“In terms of cost, I don’t have the figures right now. That will be part of the assessment team. We don’t only look at the cost—the cost is inherent, it’s a fixed expense for us. Kahit na walang damage ang barko, pag gumalaw ang barko, may fixed cost talaga diyan,” he continued.“Definitely, what is more important, what we will look at is naimpair ba ang operations capabilities ng barko? Sa nakita naman natin, nakauwi naman siya from Malaysia. So, operationally, hindi siya naapektuhan,” the official further said.Trinidad said that the repairs would depend on the extent of the damage sustained by the ship.“There are levels of repair. Some are conducted by the ship’s crew; others by the facilities of the Navy on land,” Trinidad said.“The initial repair was done by the ship’s crew while underway. We call that organizational level. But intermediate or depot level, we have our repair facilities on land to take care of that,” he added.The South Korean-built BRP Antonio Luna was commissioned in 2021. It is the second ship of the Jose Rizal class of guided-missile frigates equipped with missiles, torpedoes, launchers and weapon systems for anti-air, anti-surface and anti-submarine electronic warfare operations.<div> </div>

The Philippine Navy said Friday it was assessing the extent of the damage sustained by its guided-missile frigate, the BRP Antonio Luna, during a bilateral exercise in Malaysia.

The Philippine Navy said Friday it was assessing the extent of the damage sustained by its guided-missile frigate, the BRP Antonio Luna, during a bilateral exercise in Malaysia.

Navy’s BRP Antonio Luna back in Philippines, damage from Malaysia drills under assessment

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Navy’s BRP Antonio Luna back in Philippines, damage from Malaysia drills under assessment

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 05, 2025 04:48 PM PHT

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BRP Antonio Luna

Philippine Navy

MALPHI LAUT

superficial damage

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