Among the navies of the world, the Philippine L Navy stands out as very peculiar indeed, for while it is given the task of keeping close vigil over 14,000 miles of coastline (longer than that of the United States), it has remained as one of the smallest navies in existence. The problems of the Philippine Navy are numerous, and many of them, mostly of logistics, still remain unsolved. And in the face of great handicaps in logistics, operations, and training, this nucleus of a fighting outfit has striven to keep abreast of the other navies of the world as far as possible.
Multiplicity of missions and objectives characterizes the Philippine Navy. Since the Filipino people are preoccupied with domestic matters, they do not understand fully the true functions of a navy. As a consequence, the Philippine Navy has to perform duties that seem very remote from being naval. To assist a maritime country like the Philippines to appreciate more fully the value of naval power, it is essential that those in the naval service sell the navy to the people, whose confidence and support are vital to expansion and progress.
Brief History
The Philippine Navy started to take shape in 1939 with the establishment of the Philippine Off- Shore Patrol. The OSP was dissolved during the war and reorganized in 1947, which year saw the transfer of around 95 ships from the U. S. Navy to the Philippine Government. On October 4, 1947, the OSP was replaced by the Philippine Naval Patrol, and the contingent became a major command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. By October of 1948, naval vessels worth some $62,000,000, had been transferred from the U. S. Navy to the Philippine Naval Patrol. Finally, on December 23, 1950, the Philippine Navy was formed. In these stages of development, two U. S. Naval Academy graduates figured prominently, namely: Commodore Jose V. Andrada, PN (ret.), first Commandant of the Off-Shore Patrol and the Philippine Naval Patrol, and incumbent Commodore Jose Francisco, PN, Flag Officer in Command, Philippine Navy, who has held that position since 1949.
Mission
The main mission of the Philippine Navy is to organize, train, equip, maintain, and supply naval forces in support of the missions of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. In this respect, the Philippine Navy, being a major command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, must always act in accordance with the missions of the latter.
Though secondary, the enforcement of laws and regulations regarding navigation, immigration, customs, quarantine, fishing, and neutrality in the territorial waters of the Philippines has become a full-time job of the Philippine Navy units. Functions of other government entities have been delegated to the navy to insure greater efficiency. This law enforcement function has brought the Philippine Navy in close contact with civilians, and often taken naval vessels and personnel far from truly naval objectives or missions. But the situation in the Philippines is such that only the navy can perform these maritime law enforcement duties.
Other missions are as follows: to train for amphibious operations; to provide naval reconnaisance; to train for, and perform, ASW work, and protect shipping; and perform such other duties as the President of the Philippines may direct.
Training
The Philippine Navy has not lost cognizance of the fact that training for combat is the primary duty of every navy in time of peace. In spite of lack of funds to provide enough training materials and aids to naval personnel, the Philippine Navy, through the Naval Training Command, has been implementing more than adequate training for its units. Formal training is conducted either by Philippine service schools, the Operating Forces Training Group, or each naval unit.
Since 1956, the Philippines has participated actively in practice naval maneuvers in the Pacific, either in conjunction with other countries of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) or jointly with United States Navy units. The Philippine Navy has gained invaluable knowledge and skill through these exercises as a contingent all its own or as part of a team composed of the SEATO member-nations.
The Joint United States Military Advisory Group (JUSMAG), formed as a result of the Mutual Alliance Pact between the Philippines and the United States on December 11, 1947. through its Navy Affairs Section, has been instrumental in the training of personnel of the Philippine Navy. Through the recommendation of this body, officers and enlisted men of the Philippine Navy are sent to various service schools in the United States. The JUSMAG also recommends and coordinates with the Philippine Navy for joint exercises between PN and USN units.
There is no navy in the world that resembles that of the United States more than the Philippine Navy does. Of course, this is not only because of the fact that all major ships of the Philippine Navy have been acquired from the United States. The Filipino people believe in the same ideals as the Americans do, and in the performance of their duties, the similarity in objective is obvious.
What help the Philippine Navy can render in defense of democracy in the Far East in concerted effort with other SEATO member-nations will depend mostly on how much training and logistical support it will receive from the U. S. Navy.
Composition
The Philippine Navy is subdivided into two major echelons, namely: the Operating Forces and the Shore Activities. Under the Operating Forces are the following: the Patrol Force, the Service Force, the Lighthouse Service, and the Philippine Marines. The Shore Activities are as follows: the Central Naval Staff, the Refueling Stations, the Philippine Naval Operating Base, the Manila Naval Station, and the Sulu Sea Frontier.
The biggest naval base of the PN, the Philippine Naval Operating Base, is composed of the following commands: the Naval Training Command, the Ship Repair Facility, and the Naval Supply Center. All three major commands are patterned after similar organizations of the United States Navy.
The main bulk of naval functions is borne by the Patrol Force, whose duties include patrolling of Philippine waters in the enforcement of maritime laws and regulations of the Philippines and protection and preservation of the neutrality of the Philippines in her territorial waters. Among its collateral duties are to help in the implementation of the government’s socio-economic programs and to assist other law enforcement agencies in the performance of their duties.
Looking Ahead
The Philippine Navy will expand and develop as fast as the Islands progress economically. The sole deterrent to the projected expansion of the Philippine Navy is the present incapability of the Philippine people to support and sustain a large fleet in being. Priority, as far as the Philippine military planners are concerned, must be given
internal security, which is the basic foundation of national prosperity. Providing for external security is beyond the means of the Philippine government except through alliances. The portion of the national budget that can be made available for the maintenance of a navy is only enough to set up a naval establishment geared to the needs of defensive action.
However, the advocates of sea power in the ranks of the Philippine Navy are not dismayed, for in due time their country will prosper and, consequently, demand protection from without.
The Philippine Navy is looking forward to bigger and better ships in the near future. The state of training of the officers and men of the PN is a guarantee for effectively taking such a progressive step in due course.
Editor's Note: The U. S. Naval Institute is pleased to present this salute to the Philippine Navy in recognition of the strides forward that the Philippine people and their government are making and also in recognition of the bonds of friendship between the Philippine Navy and the U. S. Navy.