By Ayesha S. Apostol
Historic Sites Development Officer II

Tracing its origins from the Revolutionary Navy created by President Emilio Aguinaldo during the Philippine Revolution, the present-day Philippine Navy is the Sea-Warfare Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The modern navy currently honors its legacy with a tradition of naming its warships and naval vessels. This tradition also extends to the vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) whose vessels also use the term “Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas” (BRP) in their names. For Philippine Navy surface combatants, they take their name after national heroes, historical figures, and past heads of state.

Since its founding, Two Philippine Navy ships have been named in honor of Gen. Miguel Malvar: the BRP Miguel Malvar (PS-19) and the BRP Miguel Malvar (FF06).

Photo of General Miguel Malvar © https://malvar.net/article/biography

BRP Miguel Malvar (PS-19)

The first Philippine warship named after Gen. Miguel Malvar was the BRP Miguel Malvar (PS-19). It has the distinction of being one of the most decorated ships in the Philippine Navy as well as a long history of serving not just the Philippines, but also two other navies during its long career.

Built as one of hundreds of Patrol Craft Escorts (PCE) by the United States Navy during World War 2, PS-19 started its life as USS PCE(R)-852. These small vessels were tasked with convoy escort duties and other similar functions near coastal areas. USS PCE(R)-852, which was launched on 1 March 1944 by the Pullman Standard Manufacturing Company of Chicago, was a specialized “Rescue” version of this vessel which was outfitted with pharmacies, enlarged sick bays, operating rooms, and X-Ray rooms to serve as emergency response and medical support vessels. They would retrieve the wounded from beaches or other ships, provide necessary treatment including surgery, if necessary, and would ferry patients to dedicated hospital ships or shore facilities. As ships assigned to warzones, they were armed for combat with dual-purpose anti-ship/anti-aircraft guns, anti-submarine rockets and depth charges, and machine guns of various sizes.

U.S. Navy photo from the April 1958 edition of All Hands magazine © https://www.navsource.org

After a brief service in the Atlantic, it found itself in the Pacific Ocean in October 1944 as part of the massive Allied fleet that spearheaded the liberation of the Philippines through the landings at Leyte Gulf. USS PCE(R)-852 performed its duties of caring for the casualties of war, escorting convoys, and patrolling against Japanese Kamikaze attacks and submarines. From Leyte it later joined the landing force at Lingayen Gulf before leaving its future homeland for the shores of Okinawa, Japan in 1945. By the end of the war, it had handled and cared for more than 1,300 casualties across the Pacific.

After the war, PCE(R)-852 became E-PCE(R)-852. The term “Experimental” was added to its designation and its armaments were removed, converted to serve as a workspace in 1946. USS E-PCE(R)-852 was later rechristened the USS Brattleboro on 15 February 1956 and was used for testing experimental communications, infrared, and sonar equipment until it was decommissioned in 1965.

After it was removed from US Navy service, the ship was transferred to the Republic of (South) Vietman on 11 July 1966 and was renamed as Ngoc Hoi (HQ-12). The overhauled ship conducted many patrols in the South China Sea against arms smugglers and vessels from North Vietnam. When Saigon fell in 1975, the ship and its crew escaped to the Philippines as part of the large exodus of Vietnamese refugees at the end of the Vietnam War. With the loss of South Vietnam, the vessel was temporarily returned to US control while in the Philippines.

RPS Miguel Malvar (PS 19) © https://www.navsource.org

In 1976, the Philippine Navy acquired and refurbished the ship. It was named RPS (Republic of the Philippines Ship) Miguel Malvar and was later renamed as BRP Miguel Malvar (PS-19) which was the lead ship in the Malvar class of corvettes until it was decommissioned on 10 December 2021. During its more than forty years of service with the Philippine Navy, it participated in numerous exercises with Philippine allied navies, patrolled our territorial and exclusive economic zone waters in the Philippine Sea, West Philippine Sea, Sulu Sea, and Celebes Sea, and conducted military and supporting law enforcement operations, especially in Southern Philippines.

Decommissioning of BRP Miguel Malvar (PS-19) and BRP Magat Salamat (PS-20), ex-Gayety (MSF 239) after being in the Philippine Navy service for 44 years Philippine Navy photo © https://www.navsource.org

BRP Miguel Malvar (FF06)

Three years after the decommissioning of the BRP Miguel Malvar (PS-19), another Philippine naval ship would be named in honor of the gallant general. On 18 June 2024, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries launched the newest addition to the Philippine Navy corvettes, the future BRP Miguel Malvar (FF06), in Ulsan, South Korea. It will be the Philippine Navy’s first and newest missile-guided corvette. This is among the two corvettes which will be acquired through Philippine Navy’s Corvette Acquisition Program and is expected to be delivered to the Philippines by 2025.

Photo of BRP Miguel Malvar (FF06) ©  Department of National Defense’s Facebook page

The name BRP Miguel Malvar will live on through the new corvette and just like the valiant revolutionary general who surrendered last to the Americans and the long-serving BRP Miguel Malvar (PS-19), the future BRP Miguel Malvar (FF06) will help secure and protect the Philippines and its people for generations to come.

References:
Hacala, Martin J., The Story of Pullman-built Patrol Craft Escort. Retrieved 25 June 2024, from https://www.pullman-museum.org/main/exhibits/pgtw/PCER852narrative.htm
BRP Miguel Malvar (PS19). Retrieved 25 June 2024, from https://web.archive.org/web/20080219183632/http://www.usspcer852.org/
Brattleboro (EPCE[R] 852), ex-EPCE(R)-852, ex-PCE(R)-852. Retrieved 25 June 2024, from http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/02852.htm
The Philippine Navy, pp 44-45. Retrieved 25 June 2024,  from https://www.dlsu.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/ms-2.pdf, pp 44-45
Cha, Eunhyuk. (18 June 2024). HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Launches the Philippine Navy Corvette ‘BRP Miguel Malvar’. Naval News. Retrieved 25 June 2024, from https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2024/06/hd-hyundai-heavy-industries-launches-the-philippine-navy-corvette-brp-miguel-malvar/
Bahtić, Fatima. (13 December 2021). Philippine Navy retires two corvettes after 40 years of service. Naval Today. Retrieved 25 June 2024, from https://www.navaltoday.com/2021/12/13/philippine-navy-retires-two-corvettes-after-40-years-of-service/
Sadongdong, Martin. ( 22 June 2024). Philippine Navy’s brand-new corvette launched in South Korea. Manila Bulletin.  Retrieved 25 June 2024, from https://mb.com.ph/2024/6/22/philippine-navy-s-brand-new-corvette-launched-in-south-korea