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Navy ship named after Negrense hero

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BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN

BRP Lolinato To-ong, one of the newly acquired Philippine Navy newly-acquired fast-attack interdiction craft-missiles (FAIC-Ms) ships.* PNA photo

One of the Philippine Navy newly-acquired fast-attack interdiction craft-missile (FAIC-Ms) ships from Israel, was named after a Negrense hero, the late Marine 1Lt. Lolinato To-ong, of Brgy. Cabacungan, La Castellana, Negros Occidental.

The BRP Lolinato To-ong (PG9-02) and BRP Nestor Acero (PG-901) were formally christened in rites at the Philippine Navy headquarters in Manila, yesterday, upon arrival from Israel.

The first two out of the nine FAIC-Ms acquired by the Philippines from Israeli Shipyards Limited for P10 billion, are expected to boost the capability of the Philippine Navy to protect the country’s littoral zones.

Three more similar vessels are scheduled for delivery this year while the remaining four units will be constructed at the PN shipyard in Naval Station Pascual Ledesma in Cavite City, according to the Philippine Navy.

The two newly arrived vessels were named after two Philippine Marine Corps heroes and Medal of Valor recipients – the late Lolinato To-ong Sr. and Private First Class Nestor Acero, the Navy said.

To-ong, who was honored last year by the municipality of La Castellana, headed by Mayor Rhumyla Nicor Mangilimutan, was a posthumous recipient of Medal of Valor, the Philippines’ highest military award for courage. He died on April 30, 2000, in the campaign of the 52nd Marine Company of the Force Reconnaissance Battalion against Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Matanog, Maguindanao.

The 32-meter high-speed vessels are equipped with quick intercept ability, remote stabilized weapons, and short-range missiles that are capable of delivering precision strikes against larger hostiles and high-value targets on land and sea.

Four of the FAIC-Ms will be armed with non-line-of-sight (NLOS) missiles with pinpoint accuracy and a range of 25 kilometers while the other four will be armed with machine guns and light automatic cannons.

The acquisition of eight FAIC-M units is among the 2019 projects approved by former President Rodrigo Duterte under the Horizon 2 List of the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program.

“This acquisition aims to strengthen the country’s naval capability in terms of enhancing littoral defense and maritime interdiction operations as it will complement the previously acquired 12 MPAC (multi-purpose attack craft) of the PN,” Commander Benjo Negranza, Philippines Navy spokesman, said.

Once deliveries of the FAIC-Ms are completed, these vessels can interdict surface threats and launch non-line-of-sight missiles safely using the surrounding littoral areas as maneuver space and cover, Negranza said.* with reports from PNA

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