Philippines can develop ships to ensure the military capability

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines can build its own shipbuilding industry to guarantee the military will have the ability to secure the country and its territorial waters from piracy, terrorism and encroachment, Sen. Richard Gordon said.

Gordon noted some global giants in shipbuilding – like Hanjin Heavy Industries in Subic, Zambales – have set up tremendous shipyards in different parts of the country in acknowledgment of Filipinos' abilities.

“We are an archipelagic country; we should be able to build ships. We should have ships made in the Philippines – in Cebu, in Hanjin in Subic,” the senator said in a statement.

“We should really make an effort to strengthen our military, because we are facing both internal and external threats. At the same time, we should consistently assert our national territory, which includes Scarborough Shoal and Benham Rise, in no uncertain terms,” he said.

He said the current launching by Hanjin of the first-ever Subic-made 20,600-TEU (twenty-foot equal unit) class compartment vessel shows that Filipinos have the ability to assemble ships.

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