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Pia Lee-Brago - The Philippine Star
May 6, 2025 | 12:00am
Handout photo from the AFP shows the decommissioned BRP Miguel Malvar being positioned at its intended location during the Balikatan exercise off the coast of San Antonio, Zambales. The frigate, old enough to have seen action in World War II, was scheduled to go out in a blaze of glory yesterday as a target ship, but sank before the first volley could be fired.
STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — A decommissioned Navy ship, originally scheduled to be sunk during this year’s maritime strike (MARSTRIKE) as part of the Balikatan exercises, sank off the coast of San Antonio, Zambales yesterday ahead of the drill, the Philippine Navy (PN) revealed.
“The World War II corvette Miguel Malvar took on water while being positioned approximately 30 nautical miles west of San Antonio, Zambales before sinking at 7:20 a.m. at its intended location for the MARSTRIKE,” PN spokesman Capt. John Percie Alcos said in a press briefing.
Alcos added that the former Miguel Malvar sank while being towed to its designated location.
“No personnel were injured. Prior to the towing of the target vessel to the operational area, BRP Miguel Malvar underwent environmental cleaning and preparation for the MARSTRIKE,” he added.
Lt. Col. John Paul Salgado, chief of the Balikatan Exercises’ Combined Joint Information Bureau, said the vessel was chosen because it had exceeded its service life and was no longer fit for normal operations.
Despite the premature sinking, the MARSTRIKE exercise remains unchanged as part of Balikatan 40-2025’s command post training.
Chinese ship
In a separate maritime development, the Philippine Coast Guard reported the presence of a Chinese research vessel and a manned submersible operating within the country’s exclusive economic zone off the coast of Ilocos Norte.
According to PCG spokesman for West Philippine Sea concerns Commodore Jay Tarriela, said the 97-meter patrol vessel Teresa Magbanua detected the Chinese research ship Tan Suo 3 approximately 92 nautical miles off Burgos, Ilocos Norte on May 1.
A PCG aircraft conducting a maritime domain awareness flight yesterday morning confirmed that Tan Suo 3 remained in the area.
According to Tarriela, a female officer aboard Teresa Magbanua and a male aircraft crew member challenged the vessel via radio, stating that its “irregular movements were deemed inconsistent with the freedom of navigation and indicative of marine scientific research activities, which violate the sovereign rights of the Philippines.”
He added that the Chinese vessel had violated the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 Arbitral Award.
While confronting Tan Suo 3, the PCG also spotted a manned deep-sea submersible, identified as Shenhai Yongshi or Deep-Sea Warrior, fast approaching the Chinese vessel before being retrieved by its crew.
“This submersible is engineered for deep-sea exploration and scientific research, with the capability to dive to depths of 4,500 meters,” he pointed out.
He also reported that a rigid hull inflatable boat was launched to recover a yellow-colored unidentified piece of equipment, which may also be linked to research activities.
“These actions of the CRV serve as clear evidence that the People’s Republic of China is conducting illegal marine scientific research activities within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, lacking the legal authority to undertake such activities in this area,” said Tarriela.
