Detailing the 2025 Philippine Coast Guard Budget

At the first weeks of the year 2025, the Philippine government, through the Department of Budget and Management or DBM, released the full details surrounding the General Appropriations Act for that year, and with that usually comes with the highlights surrounding the budget of the Department of National Defense, as in the case for outlets like this one.

In another quick discussion in this short-written entry, we will continue covering the 2025 budget relating to the country's national security purposes, only this time this will encompass the Philippine Coast Guard and projects under the Department of Transportation (DOTr) involving the West Philippine Sea.

DISCUSSION OVERVIEW

The Cessna C208CX Grand Caravan Aircraft is currently the mainstay fixed-wing aircraft of the Philippine Coast Guard.
Image Source.

The Philippine Coast Guard’s annual budget, just like those for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, always comes with an ongoing evolution, a focus primarily on its mandate for external defense and orientation to that phase of national security. 

Both budgets belong to the annually enacted General Appropriations Act, of which the 2025 iteration of the law got the signature of Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jnr on Rizal Day, December 30, 2024.

This article comes as the continuation of the discussions surrounding the 2025 General Appropriations Act, particularly pointing to its implications in relation to the current national defense efforts of the Philippine government, through the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. 

To recall, the Revised AFP Modernization Program received an important increase, although the bulk of its allotment aligns at Un-programmed Appropriations, depending on annual government revenue.

As the purpose of this writeup also delves in the country’s push and resolve on its territorial integrity, sovereignty, and national interest that encompasses beyond the scope of the core mandate of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the duties and responsibilities of the Philippine Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea also plays a role that the country showed its presence and perseverance in what’s rightfully part of the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone, even before a more powerful adversary.

With an increasing trend of China’s assertiveness in securing what they claim as ‘theirs’ through the use of their own coast guard, maritime militia, and even naval assets belonging to the People’s Liberation Army Navy at sea, the budget encompassing the Philippine Coast Guard and the projects that the Department of Transportation at-large in the West Philippine Sea are helpful in cementing the country’s interest in West Philippine Sea, securing its marine resources for the citizenry to benefit.

Coming as usual, this article will delve into the plans, programs, and projects presented under the 2025 General Appropriations Act for the Philippine Coast Guard, while relating to the ongoing developments and that the maritime law enforcement agency has at present, such as in purchasing additional white hull assets as part of its fleet expansion. This, coupled with new facilities getting constructed, aims to help the agency uphold its core mandate, especially in increased tensions in the West Philippine Sea.

THE PCG BUDGET IN THE 2025 NATIONAL EXPENDITURE PROGRAM

The budget breakdown of the Philippine Coast Guard's National Expenditure Program, spanning three (3) years.

At a glance, there is a positive trend in the overall allotments presented for the Philippine Coast Guard’s financial requirements under the 2025 National Expenditure Program, as it has highlighted the growing responsibility of the maritime law enforcement agency in enforcing its presence in areas like the West Philippine Sea, along with its efforts to expand its existing Maritime Domain Awareness in securing the Philippine Territorial and Exclusive Economic Zone waters.

The budget of the Philippine Coast Guard in the 2025 National Expenditure Program comes at around Php 31,268,928,000.00 or Php 31.268 Billion, in which it is higher than the 2024’s Php 29,420,681,000.00 or Php 29.421 Billion allotment in the presentation, which itself is higher than the 2023’s Php 21,908,100,000.00 or Php 21.908 Billion allotment. This means that there is at least a 6.39% increase in the 2025 budget, lower than the 25.54% increase in the 2024 proposal as compared to the 2023 budget proposal.

With the positive trend also comes the same picture on the specific expenditure clusters that describe an operational component of a government agency like the Philippine Coast Guard, whereby there’s a general increase on both Personnel Services (PS) and Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE), while there’s a general decrease on the maritime law enforcement’s Capital Outlay (CO) allotments as compared to the previous year. The breakdown of each expenditure cluster comes as follows.

The overall allotments for Personnel Services (PS) for basic salary and benefits for the Philippine Coast Guard’s uniform and civilian personnel composition comes at around Php 23,112,726,000.00 or Php 23.112 Billion, of which it comprise the largest percentage of the agency’s 2025 National Expenditure Program allotments that is at around 73.92% of the total budget allotted in this presentation. It is higher than 2024’s Php 19,739,399,000.00 or Php 19.739 Billion, and 2023’s Php 19,857,096,000.00 or Php 19.857 Billion.

Aside from Personnel Services or PS, another thing to point out is the composition of allotments under the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses or MOOE, whereby it has the proposed figures under the National Expenditure Program for 2025 amounting to Php 7,086,919,000.00 or Php 7.086 Billion, composing about 22.66% of the total proposed budget in this presentation. It is higher than 2024’s Php 4,744,045,000.00 or Php 4.744 Billion, and 2023’s Php 3,571,565,000.00 or Php 3.572 Billion.

Completing this composition is the budget allotments under Capital Outlay or CO, whereby it saw a decrease in figures as compared to the first two (2) budgetary clusters, as discussed. For the year 2025, the figures provided under the National Expenditure Program of the said fiscal year amounts to Php 1,081,228,000.00, or Php 1.081 Billion, comprising only about 3.46% of the total budget. For comparison, figures for 2024 and 2023 are at around Php 4,744 Billion and Php 1.327 Billion, respectively.

The general increase of both Personnel Services (PS) and Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) sees as the ongoing increase on the number of hired personnel to the maritime law enforcement agency, along with the operational and repair requirements for the agency’s facilities and white hull vessels that is likely to receive in the succeeding years. While the National Expenditure Program provides the amounts as proposed at a glance, the 2025 General Appropriations Act gives a full picture.

THE ACTUAL BREAKDOWN UNDER THE 2025 GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT

Here is the actual breakdown of allotments for the Philippine Coast Guard under the 2025 General Appropriations Act.

As the budgetary figures provided under the 2025 National Expenditure Program comes as an initial and also a sneak peek into what will the budget of a certain government agency will look like, the 2025 General Appropriations Act provide as the final budgetary figure that a government agency like the Philippine Coast Guard will see as a basis for its allotment, which will be its budget to use for its personnel and operating expense requirements for the said fiscal period.

The budget of the Philippine Coast Guard in the 2025 General Appropriations Act comes at around Php 33,251,928,000.00 or Php 33.252 Billion, which is actually higher than the figures presented under the National Expenditure Program of the maritime law enforcement agency with the aforementioned figures provided in this writeup. This means that the budget of the Philippine Coast Guard saw an increase of Php 1,983,000,000.00 or Php 1.983 Billion.

Going further, the breakdown between the expenditure cluster goes as follows - Php 23,100,781,000.00 or Php 23.101 Billion for Personnel Services or PS, Php 7,086,919,000.00 or Php 7.087 Billion for Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses or MOOE, and Php 3,064,228,000.00 or Php 3.064 Billion for Capital Outlay or CO, totaling to the aforementioned figure that saw an increase as compared to the proposed ones under the National Expenditure Program.

This means that the budget for the Personnel Services comes with a minor decrease of Php 11,945,000.00, likely pointing to the number of personnel separating from the service through multiple means such as resignation, transfer of agency, reaching the mandatory age for retirement, or applying for the optional retirement package. Budgetary numbers provided usually correspond to the actual number of personnel in service, with data originating from the agency’s Human Resource directorate.

Meanwhile, there are no changes on the overall allotment to the Philippine Coast Guard’s own Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) requirements, which stayed at Php 7,086,919,000.00 or Php 7.087 Billion for both the 2025 National Expenditure Program and the 2025 General Appropriations Act. 

This means that their requirements for upkeep facilities and operating PCG equipment lines up into what should be their actual expenditure projections on the said fiscal period.

Finally, the Philippine Coast Guard’s Capital Outlay, under the 2025 General Appropriations Act, saw more than a twofold increase, as it saw the increase from Php 1,081,228,000.00 or Php 1.081 Billion in the 2025 National Expenditure Program increased into Php 3,064,228,000.00 or Php 3.064 Billion, with a difference being at Php 1,983,000,000.00 or Php 1.983 Billion. This will enable the agency to improve its capabilities by acquiring more hardware and building new facilities.

From the provided figures, the overall increase in allotments for the Philippine Coast Guard under the 2025 General Appropriations Act directly attributed to the increase in allotments under its Capital Outlay (CO) funding cluster, while there is a decrease and no change on the allotments of both the Personnel Services (PS) and Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE), respectively. 

Not mentioned here are the funding resources done through Official Development Aid or ODA loans, like the additional Teresa Magbanua class Multirole Response Vessels (MRRVs).

DOTR'S WEST PHILIPPINE SEA PROJECTS IN 2025

Pag-asa island now comes with a hangar and an air traffic control tower.
Screen grab from ABS-CBN News Channel.

As the Philippine Coast Guard falls under the organizational jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation or DOTR, it is as well worth discussing and delving with the projects that the transportation department have that has a relation with national security push, particularly on matters that correlates to the entire government’s push into cementing its presence in highly contested areas like the Kalayaan Island Group in the West Philippine Sea.

Based on the projects list provided by the 2025 General Appropriations Act for the earmarked programs set by the Department of Transportation or DOTR, one highlighted project on the list is the Airport Development and Expansion of Pag-Asa Island Airport (in Kalayaan Island Group), which amounts to Php 1,650,000,000.00, or Php 1.650 Billion Pesos. This budget is likely to provide continuous work on the airport facilities on the island, such as the air traffic control building and hangar facilities (see image above).

Another highlighted project is the Pag-Asa sheltered port project amounting to Php 300 Million, which refers to the dredged part of the island that can accommodate Philippine vessels of both civilian and government enforcement in nature, making it convenient to provide the much needed sustainment supplies for the troops and inhabitants of the island, along with an immediate deployment of heavy equipment and armaments that cement the country’s presence in an island part of the Kalayaan Island Group.

Finally, completing the list is the construction of Sheltered Port at Lawak Island, which is part of the Kalayaan Island Group municipality as the Pag-Asa island itself. Currently, the island, internationally named as Nanshan Island, comes with a small contingent of Philippine Coast Guard and Armed Forces personnel deployed in the area, and having a sheltered port in the island will help not only to cement the country’s presence but also to give added protection among Filipino fisherfolk during harsh storms.

Amounting to Php 1,080,000,000.00 or Php 1.080 Billion, the Phase 2 of the construction of a Sheltered Port at Lawak island is the continuation of what has already invested there, whereby an amount of Php 800,000,000.00 or Php 800 Million has already provided for the construction of the facility as part of the 2024 General Appropriations Act. Likewise, both the airport expansion and the sheltered port on Pag-Asa island are a mere continuation of the plans earmarked by the Transportation Department in prior years.

All the aforementioned projects aimed to improve not only the well-being of the troops and inhabitants within the Kalayaan Island Group in the West Philippine Sea, but it gives additional presence and resolve that the Philippine government and citizenry at-large provides attention and added support in protecting the country’s national interest and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea area, all of which are within bounds of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS.

Coupled with the current efforts by both the Philippine Coast Guard and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to improve their capabilities further for territorial defense purposes, the projects set by the Department of Transportation as mentioned play a vital role in providing support in further improving and fortifying the Philippine positions in the West Philippine Sea, all despite having incursions from both the China Coast Guard together with accompanying Chinese Maritime Militia ships.

LOOKING FORWARD

A scale model of the HDP-500 OPV as presented by HD Hyundai during the ADAS 2024 Exhibition.
File Image.

The budget of the Philippine Coast Guard in the 2025 General Appropriations Act, as opposed to its proposals under the 2025 National Expenditure Program, shows that the budget allotment increase, especially on its Capital Outlay related expenditures, are helpful for the maritime law enforcement agency under the Department of Transportation to further fulfill its mandate, especially that it plays a crucial role as the current frontline component in challenging Chinese elements in the West Philippine Sea.

The increase fully reflects the general trend on its budgetary requirements, all of which saw a constant increase on its needed budget allotments through encompassing years mentioned in the first parts of this writeup. 

The trend as presented is not that surprising, given that there is also a general increase of white hulls entering the service, along with the establishment of new facilities and recruiting the pool of aspiring applicants that wanted to join the service.

As mentioned earlier on the detailed breakdown of the expenditure cluster of the Philippine Coast Guard’s own budget, the numbers do not cover any soft loan or similarly arranged scheme that correlates to the agency’s improvement of its own capabilities, particularly to the recent purchase of Japanese-made Multirole Response Vessels and additional Teresa Magbanua-class MRRVs, all of which having the JICA Official Development Aid loan as the source of funds.

Adding to this is the ensured continuity with the ongoing rehabilitation and facility improvement projects in various Philippine outposts in the West Philippine Sea that is currently defined as part of the Kalayaan Island Group municipality of the Province of Palawan. Pag-Asa island’s current improvement of both of its airport and sheltered port emphasizes the importance of those facilities that increase the flow of logistics on goods, supplies, and much-needed goods from the Philippine mainland.

Aside from Pag-Asa island, the improvement in Lawak island, which is another Philippine outpost in the West Philippine Sea and as part of Kalayaan Island Group, also gives expanded presence for the country’s resolve in ensuring its national interest within its designated Exclusive Economic Zone or EEZ, whereby the national government sees its importance that the said projects have included in the 2025 budget of the Department of Transportation that also benefiting the country’s defense prospects.

The role of the Philippine Coast Guard, along with the budgets allocated by the Department of Transportation in the West Philippine Sea projects, shows that the country’s national defense efforts encompass the national government at-large, and not just the ones in the front-lines like the Armed Forces of the Philippines. 

The support among government agencies ensures that territorial integrity also comes with improving presence by providing better infrastructure for the assigned outposts to benefit.

Ultimately, the whole of nation approach in deterring the encroachment of a regional superpower in the country’s doorstep will come as a welcoming way forward in ensuring that the country’s citizenry and national interest will benefit, while making sure that the country is safe from threats that are now involving multiple domains, as the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines mentions. As a country, the Philippines, with its citizens being united, stands against aggression posed against its own sovereignty.

To access the following documents, here are the following links below.

1. GAA 2025 - Philippine Coast Guard, under Volume 1-B, Chapter XXVI (archived).

2. GAA 2025 - Department of Transportation (Office of the Secretary), under Volume 1-B, Chapter XXVI (archived).

Here is an archived version of Volume 1-B webpage of the Department of Budget and Management or DBM.

(c) 2025 PDA.

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HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' Philippine Coast Guard Offers on ADAS 2024

In the recently concluded Asian Defense And Security Exhibition or ADAS 2024 that held from September 25 to 28, 2024, various military and defense companies are pitching their recent defense technology and upping their respective offers, hoping to secure a significant chunk of the Philippine defense market, whether it may be the one belonging to the Armed Forces of the Philippines or with other relevant agencies such as the Philippine National Police or the Philippine Coast Guard.

This topic go separately to the previously crafted entry for a possible HDP-2200 Offshore Patrol Vessel offer for the Philippine Coast Guard, as the booth of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries now presents multiple vessel solutions that the maritime law enforcement agency might need, from small vessels similar in size to the Parola-class Multirole Response Vessels, to gigantic ones that can counter the Chinese monster ships and can stay for months at contested areas like the Escoda Shoal.

HD HYUNDAI HEAVY INDUSTRIES IN ADAS 2024

Scale model designs of different vessel options provided by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries for the Philippine Coast Guard during the Asian Defense And Security Exhibition or ADAS 2024.
Image from Department of National Defense.

The 2024 Asian Defense And Security (ADAS) exhibition that took place in the World Trade Center convention hall on September 25-27 presented opportunities for the defense industries and companies to present their respective product lines and scale models, while presenting the vision that they have in taking part in the Philippine defense establishment’s enlarged push to improve its overall capabilities in the name of national defense and security.

Each defense industry that aims to secure the ever-growing Philippine defense market set up their respective booths in the exhibition, notably among companies that are actively taking part in some of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ modernization-related acquisition projects. Some of the defense firms involved already delivered goods to a certain project of the Philippine Military, now actively taking part in expanding their business in the local defense market.

Among those who took part in the ADAS 2024 Exhibition is the South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, whereby they fielded various scale model designs of different ships that cater to both the needs of the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard. 

Their offer to the former is a given, since the South Korean shipbuilder took part in the first Frigate Acquisition Project, the Corvette Acquisition Project, and the Offshore Patrol Vessel Acquisition Project.

The three projects are now what define the Jose Rizal-class Frigates, Miguel Malvar-class frigates (now bearing the FFG designation after getting an initial FF designation during the launch of BRP Miguel Malvar FFG/FF-06), and the HDP-2200+ Offshore Patrol Vessels, totaling at least ten (10) vessels delivered upon completion of all units from the time this writeup has published. This might increase further to twelve (12) units as the second Frigate Acquisition Project is getting likely to be another HD Hyundai preference.

As for their offer to the latter, the Philippine Coast Guard has a promising prospect of expanding its fleet further, especially with its crucial role in deterring against the provocative and intrusive China Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia that illegally entering the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone in the West Philippine Sea, while challenging the Philippines legal control into areas rightfully part of the country such as the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal and the Kalayaan Island Group.

The South Korean shipbuilder presented a wider array of shipping solutions that the Philippine Coast Guard might consider, although this might also mean countering the current preference of the maritime law enforcement agency leaning on the Japanese built vessels. 

Currently, the Philippine Coast Guard has at least ten (10) 44-meter Parola-class Multirole Response Vessels or MRRVs and two (2) 97-meter Teresa Magbanua-class Multirole Response Vessels, with five (5) more coming on its way to the country.

In this writeup, the only focus is on the different scale model ship designs that HD Hyundai Heavy Industries displayed during the ADAS 2024 Exhibition for the Philippine Coast Guard, as the ones presented for the Philippine Navy will come as an entirely different topic, with its own set of discussion and other details to cover. Ultimately, the premise will provide the size and capability of each model presented, correlating to the plans of the Philippine Coast Guard for its fleet expansion.

THE PRESENTED PRODUCT LINE

In the scale models presented by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in its podium during the 2024 Asian Defense And Security Exhibition, the following ones that sport the Philippine Coast Guard colors will be the one that will delve into in this part of the discussion, with each vessels come with various shapes and sizes, ranging from the smaller vessels weighing 500 tons to the large 4,000 ton vessels. 

Each scale model presented has its marketing points for the Philippine Coast Guard might consider for its capability.

1. HDP-500

The HDP-500 come as the smallest one offered by the South Korean shipbuilder.
(c) Frances Mangosing, X (formerly Twitter).

The smallest among the designs offered by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in this exhibition for the Philippine Coast Guard, its size is actually larger than the 44-meter Parola-class Multirole Response Vessels that the maritime law enforcement bought from Japan through a financial line provided through the Official Development Aid Loan. Coming at 55 meters long, the HDP-500 design provides some extra space for the Philippine Coast Guard’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or UAV, if it needs one to deploy.

Other information presented for this ship is that it comes with the weight of 570 tons and a maximum speed of twenty-four (24) knots, sufficient for its performance in the high seas particularly if it goes for a tit for tat chase between the white hulls deployed by both China and the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea. Compared to the Parola-class MRRVs, the HDP-500 comes slower by only one (1) knot, although the significant size gain might give added space for additional improvement on the Philippine Coast Guard capabilities for both accommodation and added subcomponents onboard.

Completing the details, the Parola-class Multirole Response Vessels that are currently serving the Philippine Coast Guard also comes as lighter compared to the HD-500 patrol vessel design of the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in terms of tonnage, as the former comes at around 321 tons or 249 tons lighter than what the South Korean white hull ship design comes in mind. Given a larger size while having a small variance on speed, this vessel might be worth a consideration for the agency’s aims for an expanded fleet.

2. HDP-1500

The HDP-1500 Offshore Patrol Vessel originally come as an offer to the Philippine Navy's project for its own Offshore Patrol Vessels.
(c) Frances Mangosing, X (formerly Twitter).

The next on the list is a vessel that is at one point offered to the Philippine Navy’s Offshore Patrol Vessel Acquisition Project, although this gets eventually increased in tonnage and its hull stretched out that is now become a separate design of its own being the HDP-2200+ Offshore Patrol Vessel. Despite the change, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries still keep this design, in which it looks forward to that agencies like the Philippine Coast Guard might consider it for their respective requirements.

Coming at around eighty-one (81) meters long, 1,700 tons, and the speed of around twenty-four (24) knots, the HDP-1500 comes as shorter to the Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301), the eighty-three (83) meter vessel that the maritime law enforcement agency bought from France’s OCEA, and is also currently the largest aluminum-hulled vessel that the agency operates at present. Having an aluminum hull, the BRP Gabriela Silang is likely lighter compared to the steel-based hull of the HDP-1500 ship design, although the speed of the French-made ship varies from 20 to 30 knots.

Additional information for this ship includes having a beam of 13.1 meters and a draught of 3.5 meters, although its endurance and range might go higher than 28 days and 5,500 nautical miles, respectively, given that the specifications provided are for the Philippine Navy’s Offshore Patrol Vessel purposes. The variance has the onboard subcomponents into consideration, especially that the Philippine Coast Guard vessels do not come with weapons that usually come with the Philippine Navy’s own requirements.

3. HDP-2200

The HDP-2200 Offshore Patrol Vessel design is actually the likely preferred design for the Philippine Coast Guard's own white hull requirements.
(c) Frances Mangosing, X (formerly Twitter).

This following ship in the list is also the one that might likely be the design that gets offered to the Philippine Coast Guard from the South Korean shipbuilder, citing that it shares similar design commonality and logistical chains with the Offshore Patrol Vessels currently produced for the Philippine Navy’s own requirements. Apparently, the one offered to the Philippine Coast Guard is a slight derivative of the design provided for the Philippine Navy, with the former likely having a helicopter hangar accommodation.

As this go similarly to the Offshore Patrol Vessel design of the Philippine Navy with slight variations, its specifications go with the following information - it has a weight displacement of 2,450 tons, overall length of 94.4 meters, beam of 14.3 meters, draught of 3.7 meters, speed of 22 knots, range of 5,500 nautical miles, and the maximum endurance of 30 knots. This is slightly smaller than the Teresa Magbanua-class Multirole Response Vessels that the Philippine Coast Guard bought from Japan through an Official Development Aid (soft loan) arrangement, although the South Korean design has an expanded range compared to the 4,000 nautical miles that the current flagship have.

Among the scale model designs offered, the HDP-2200 stands as a greater chance for the Philippine Coast Guard to consider, particularly that it may improve commonality, interoperability, and spare parts logistics chain with their counterparts in the Philippine Navy. This means that it encourages subject exchanges and training between the personnel of both the Philippine Navy and Coast Guard, while simplifying the learning curve on the vessel’s operation in the high seas.

4. HDP-3300

This scale model has a main gun that large South Korean Coast Guard vessels usually have.
(c) Frances Mangosing, X (formerly Twitter).

The following vessel design presented here has its specifications go beyond the current flagships of the Philippine Coast Guard and goes on par with the Philippine Navy’s Jose Rizal-class frigate in terms of its size, and Miguel Malvar-class frigate in terms of its tonnage. It shares some design attributes with both the HDP-1500 and the HDP-2200 offshore patrol vessel design, with this design getting a full Coast Guard cutter treatment with having a main gun onboard that Chinese and United States CG vessels have.

Having a size of at least 106 meters long, weight displacement of 3,300 tons, and speed of around 24 knots, the HDP-3300 vessel design that HD Hyundai Heavy Industries presented to the Philippine Coast Guard comes a meter short to the Jose Rizal-class frigates’ 107-meter long hull (overall), while being having one hundred (100) tons heavier than the Miguel Malvar-class frigates’ 3,200 tons weight displacement. Compared to the first three (3) designs, it bears more weapons aside from the mentioned main gun.

The size of this ship, along with its armaments, can help the Philippine Coast Guard expand its capabilities and prolonged presence in areas like the West Philippine Sea, although this modification might come without the armaments like a main gun. This comes as the HDP-2200 design for the Philippine Coast Guard lacks the 76mm main gun armament that the Philippine Navy Offshore Patrol Vessels have, clearly signifying the difference on the mandates of both maritime entities of the Philippine government.

5. HDP-5500

The HDP-5500 can provide expanded deployment that the Philippine Coast Guard needs in areas like the West Philippine Sea.
(c) Frances Mangosing, X (formerly Twitter).

Completing the list is the largest ship that HD Hyundai Heavy Industries presented in its scale model design, one in which can help the Philippine Coast Guard counter the largest Coast Guard vessel that China has fielded in the West Philippine Sea and the broader South China Sea area in recent times. Its size can also double as the primary ship that the Philippine Coast Guard needs in prolonged deployment in the West Philippine Sea, in a manner it has done with the BRP Teresa Magbanua in Escoda Shoal for months.

The HDP-5500 coast guard vessel design comes with the following specifications - it has the size of around 140 meters long, 5,500 tons, and has a speed of around 25 knots. There is no substantiated information about its crew capacity, its beam and draught, or its range and endurance, but the scale model presented makes this a vessel capable of providing near-permanent presence in the West Philippine Sea, but still less ideal than constructing and installing permanent structures and outposts in areas near or around Kalayaan Island Group and Panatag Shoal.

For comparison, the Chinese Cutter “Nansha”, the monster ship that the Philippine media reports and also calls by its hull number CCG-5907, comes with its displacement of around 12,000 tons, basically more than twice than what HDP-5500 presents for the Philippine Coast Guard. Also, the size of the Chinese monster ship’s hull comes at around 164.89 meters, or at least 24.89 meters longer than the South Korean design. Finally, this vessel’s deployment in the West Philippine Sea might give this vessel design a consideration.

IN SUMMARY

The HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has unveiled the scale model of the HDP-2200 Offshore Patrol Vessel design with the Philippine Coast Guard insignia during the Korea Ocean Expo (KOE) 2024.
Image Source.

The presentation of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries for the Philippine Coast Guard on its booth during the 2024 Asian Defense and Security or ADAS Exhibition highlights its desire to take part with the maritime law enforcement agency’s ongoing modernization push, particularly with the number of white hulls it pursues in the upcoming years. The number of scale model designs presented gives a wide range of options that the Philippine Coast Guard may choose to expand its present capabilities.

From the small HDP-500 vessel design to the largest HDP-5500 design that helps counter the Chinese monster ship mooring in the West Philippine Sea for prolonged deployment, the South Korean shipbuilder provided its ships portfolio as an attempt to enter the Philippine Coast Guard’s own fleet market, in a way that it succeedingly get the significant portion of the Philippine Navy’s own fleet requirements by producing the orders booked for frigates, offshore patrol vessels, and guided missile frigates (corvettes).

One important salient feature that HD Hyundai Heavy Industries market to the Philippine Coast Guard is on interoperability and streamlined spare parts hulk with their counterparts in the Philippine Navy, as this is how they market the HDP-2200 Offshore Patrol Vessel design for the maritime law enforcement agency to consider. Should this option get considered, there will be an effective commonality in skills and maintenance between both entities in getting this type of vessel design.

While this South Korean shipbuilder has promising prospects in selling the ship designs for the Philippine Coast Guard to consider, there are still obstacles for them to achieve or secure a portion of the maritime law enforcement agency’s fleet composition. One highlight is the Philippine Coast Guard’s preference for French and Japanese-made vessels, with the latter comprising the bulk of the agency’s operating white hulls such as the Parola-class and Teresa Magbanua-class Multirole Response Vessels (MRRVs).

The preference also comes that the projects mentioned for the two (2) aforementioned Multirole Response Vessel class made in Japan have purchased through the Official Development Aid loan, making it difficult for HD Hyundai Heavy Industries to market its ships to the Philippine Coast Guard unless if it has the backing of any soft loan or financing facility equivalent from the South Korean government in order for their offers to get enticing for the maritime agency to consider.

It remains to see the extent of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ extent into marketing its ship designs for the Philippine Coast Guard for consideration, as the competition is stiff into securing contracts in this agency that is predominantly composed of French and Japanese white hulls, both of which came with soft loans and lessening financial stress in mind. Still, the designs presented by the South Korean shipbuilder provide a promising prospect that its decision makers might consider later on. 

Ultimately, all the ships that HD Hyundai Heavy Industries presented in ADAS 2024 do not only presented their likely offers that the Philippine Coast Guard might consider, but also the continuous partnership that they have with the Philippine Navy, in which it has the chance of getting expanded with their offers particularly with the naval service branch of the Philippine military’s plan to buy additional full complement frigates. All designs presented help the Philippines improve its own maritime domain awareness.

(c) 2025 PDA.

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HD Hyundai's HDP-2200 Offshore Patrol Vessel Offer to the Philippine Coast Guard

Additional white hull ships are already in the Philippine Coast Guard's bucket list for quite some time now, with additional plans for acquisition already on its way with countries like Japan providing more for the next five years.

As the maritime law enforcement agency's role becoming more essential than ever, so do the prospects of several shipbuilding companies to what might be a marketing pitch for a platform that the Philippine Coast Guard might consider for its maritime fleet expansion efforts.

A SCALE MODEL IN AN EXPOSITION

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries unveil a scale model of the HDP-2200 Offshore Patrol Vessel, painted in Philippine Coast Guard color.
Image Source.

It is a usual and well-known practice among shipbuilding to showcase various types of warship designs through the scale models presented in defense-related or similarly crafted expositions and exhibitions, whereby the warship designs are a prospect of an offer of the shipbuilder to a certain country for its own mission requirements. Also, it serves some designs that are already a work in progress, with navies already set orders for the acquisition of actual units for their fleet operations.

With the designs that a shipbuilder also comes with an interesting tidbit on the offers made, likely aiming to market the product for operational use that involves maritime patrol objectives or to enhance the country’s maritime domain awareness even further. 

This is precisely the case for HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in a recently concluded exposition in South Korea, primarily catering to the Korean Coast Guard and other maritime-related bodies in the country.

In the event, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, like other Korean-based and foreign companies that took part in the exhibition, provide their respective scale model designs and other stuff that might look fascinating for the Korean law enforcement agencies to consider for their respective requirements. In that case, the shipbuilding company presented their usual product design, with an interesting tidbit regarding the coast guard stripes that the scale model presented.

As seen in the image provided above, the HDP-2200 offshore patrol vessel design of the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is sporting a Philippine Coast Guard stripes and livery, even coming with a referenced scale model of what seems to be the AW-159 anti-submarine helicopter with the maritime law agency’s colors. Apparently, the presentation of the vessel might provide an idea that the Korean shipbuilder is interested in taking part in the Philippine Coast Guard’s ongoing modernization efforts.

Currently, the Philippine Coast Guard is getting its vessels from Japanese and French sources, as it has provided in the recent developments on the maritime law enforcement agency’s ongoing white hull fleet expansion. One notable example is the recently discussed topic that covers the Philippine Coast Guard’s plan to purchase five additional Teresa Magbanua-class Multirole Response Vessels, complementing the first two vessels of 97-meter size already serving the fleet.

Meanwhile, the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is primarily pushing its products to the Philippine Navy, whereby the latter bought warships from the former with designs like the Jose Rizal-class frigate (HDF-2600 design), Miguel Malvar-class frigate (HDF-3200 design), and the Offshore Patrol Vessels (HDP-2200+ design). 

As for the latter, the Offshore Patrol Vessels that the Philippine Navy sets to receive come similarly to the scale model design with Philippine Coast Guard colors, minus a helo hangar.

In this topic, the discussion delves deep into the ongoing modernization efforts of the Philippine Coast Guard in terms of its white hull vessel requirements, along with the specifications of the HDP-2200 patrol vessel design and its difference to the ones provided for the Philippine Navy requirements. Finally, the correlation between the Philippine Coast Guard’s modernization and its role in the West Philippine Sea will also get covered accordingly.

SCALE MODEL FIRST SIGHTED IN KOREA OCEAN EXPO 2024

The Korea Ocean Expo also exhibits advanced technologies, such as the Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) seen in the image. Retrieved from an Image Source.

Showcasing the product designs and future visions have always got a presentation through an exhibition or exposition typically conducted at a certain convention center in a notable city within a country, with the end users and relevant stakeholders usually conducting and sponsoring the activity. This aims to showcase any products offered by a company of specific expertise, like those with shipbuilding, that might help improve the end users and stakeholder capabilities.

For the Korea Ocean Expo, it markets itself as the only marine-specialized exhibition within the country, aiming to provide an attraction of interest among major maritime organizations, as well as maritime organization within the confines of South Korea’s key metropolitan areas like in Seoul or the adjacent city of Incheon. From this exhibition, it only makes sense for shipbuilding companies like HD Hyundai Heavy Industries to showcase its products at the exhibition.

This exposition comes the opportunity for local South Korean firms like HD Hyundai Heavy Industries to showcase its products, suites, and mission-based solutions that might find applicable or appropriate to the end-user requirements for clients like the Korea Coast Guard. It is also from this venue that product solutions present the current push of each firm on their current developments or projects pushed, which have led to the aforementioned shipbuilder to showcase a scale model with Philippine Coast Guard colors.

The Korea Ocean Expo is just one of the multitude of expositions held in Incheon, South Korea, whereby it provides a sufficient influx of people that boost the city’s tourism industry and prospects for holding such events in the city’s own convention centers. Aside from shipbuilding, there are other different marine solutions presented in the exhibition, such as the safety features found onboard a shipping vessel such as lifeboats and fire alarm systems, to shipping equipment that deals with ventilation and ballast.

With different marine firms and shipbuilding companies pushing their respective marketing pitch, hoping that key South Korean maritime-oriented government agencies such as the South Korean Coast Guard will take their offer, the different offers and scale model designs that speak perspectives of each firms provide any sign or an indicator that expresses their interest, especially that HD Hyundai Heavy Industries actively producing the similarly designed offshore patrol vessel platform for the Philippine Navy.

THE HDP-2200 VESSEL

This vessel comes slightly differently to the Philippine Navy’s HDP-2200+ Offshore Patrol Vessel.
From HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' brochure.

The scale model provided in a Korean exposition came as the HDP-2200 offshore patrol vessel, whereby it shares design cues with the HDP-2200+ offshore patrol vessel that the Philippine Navy will eventually have, except for some minor tweaks in the design as those type of information will delve deeper throughout this sub-discussion. 

Despite the tweaks, both share similar dimensions on the ship's size and tonnage, although the differences show the effective modularity of the offshore patrol vessel design.

As provided in the product brochure by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries for the said offshore patrol vessel design, both the HDP-2200 and the HDP-2200+ design share the most attribute on its capability and other key specifications, whereby both have the displacement of 2,450 tons, overall length of 94.4 meters, breadth of 14.3 meters, draught of 3.7 meters, speed of 22 knots, range of 5,500 nautical miles, and maximum endurance at sea at 30 days.

Both platforms have space for two (2) Rigid-Hull Inflatable Boats or RHIBs, a single helipad for a helicopter to land and take off, and also having similar design features on how the bridge and the navigational mast get positioned. 

The clear difference between both the HDP-2200 and the HDP-2200+ offshore patrol vessel design, as provided in the brochure, is in terms of weapons subcomponents involved and essential features that define one vessel's design objectives to the other.

One clear difference is in the helicopter hangar, whereby the HDP-2200 Offshore Patrol Vessel always come with a single hangar for a dedicated helicopter platform to shelter in, whereas this feature comes absent to the HDP-2200+ Offshore Patrol Vessel that the Philippine Navy purchased under the Offshore Patrol Vessel or OPV Acquisition Project. With one lacking feature always comes with a tradeoff, as the HDP-2200+ design always comes with more firepower as compared to the HDP-2200 variant.

For example, as provided again in the brochure of the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries for both platforms, the weapons and sensors suite of the HDP-2200+ offshore patrol vessel comprise with additional weaponry features as compared to ones found onboard the HDP-2200 offshore patrol vessel variant. 

Weapons such as Close-In Weapons System or CIWS, 76mm main gun, Combat Management System or CMS, and even Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or UAVs, are coming with the HDP-2200+ OPV and are absent on the HDP-2200 OPV.

The highlighted difference makes the HDP-2200 Offshore Patrol Vessel more ideal as a platform intended for the Philippine Coast Guard or the PCG, whereby the maritime law enforcement agency does not require naval subcomponents for its operations and instead use lighter armaments and even water cannons to enforce its mandate in the high seas. The availability of the helicopter hangar enables its helicopters, like the Airbus H145, to shelter on and use for Maritime Search and Rescue operations.

This offer gets timely, as the Philippine Coast Guard now has an actual requirement to beef up its capabilities, particularly regarding the increase in the number of its existing white hull vessels that addresses all the shortcomings of the maritime law enforcement agency, especially for the support of Filipino fisherfolk and increased presence of Philippine authorities in the West Philippine Sea. Added to this is the increased aggression by the China Coast Guard that inflicted damage on the PCG vessels.

PCG'S PLAN FOR FLEET IMPROVEMENT

The ongoing tensions in the West Philippine Sea give more justification to the increase of Philippine Coast Guard vessel acquisition plans.

Recent developments, such as the one in the West Philippine Sea, as depicted in the image above involving the deployment of BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701) and BRP Cabra (MRRV-4409) of the Philippine Coast Guard in Escoda (Sabina Shoal), gives additional justification for the need of additional white-hulled vessels for the Philippine Coast Guard to get. Case in point, China did the ramming to the MRRV-9701 that it eventually needs to get pulled out from the area back to the mainland for repairs.

Currently, the Philippine Coast Guard pursues at least forty-six (46) additional vessels, of which it includes at least five (5) additional Teresa Magbanua-class Multirole Response Vessels or MRRVs, and prospects to purchase several 61-meter patrol vessels and 40-meter fast patrol boats into the pipeline. This prospect might provide additional change for shipbuilders like HD Hyundai Heavy Industries to pitch in their offers, particularly for its line of offshore patrol vessels.

As expected, the Philippine Coast Guard will probably tap both Japan and France for its white-hulled vessel requirements, as it is with these countries that help provide the bulk of the actively serving white hulls that the maritime service branch currently uses, such as the ten (10) Parola-class Multirole Response Vessels that Japan provided on top of the aforementioned ninety-seven (97) meter long vessels, and the smaller, 24-meter Boracay-class patrol boats from France, along with BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301).

While there is a preference with Japanese-built vessels like the Teresa Magbanua-class Multirole Response Vessels and also to the French-made ones, the HDP-2200 offer provided by the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries actually has benefits, particularly in terms of interoperability and logistics chain with the Philippine Navy’s HDP-2200+ Offshore Patrol Vessels purchased. This is particularly the case when the Philippine Coast Guard seeks an interest in securing vessels made by the Australian shipbuilder Austal.

The necessity of getting additional white hull vessels in the height of increasing tension in the West Philippine Sea by overseas intruders gives added justification that shipbuilders like HD Hyundai Heavy Industries can attempt to market for the Philippine Coast Guard to consider, especially that this move will also enable the South Korean shipbuilder to get a portion of the organization’s shipbuilding pie, expanding its market in the Philippines aside from its usual prospect with the Philippine Navy.

MORE TO COME

Other vessel designs as presented by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries during the Asian Defense And Security Exhibition or ADAS 2024.
Image from Department of National Defense.

Aside from the HDP-2200 Offshore Patrol Vessel, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries actually provided a wide range of options that the Philippine Coast Guard might consider during the three-day Asian Defense and Security Exhibition or ADAS 2024 that took place from September 25-27, 2024. Since the offers go beyond the single type of vessel that came with this topic, this discussion deserves its own separate entry that is entirely accessible on this website resource medium.

Showcasing the HDP-2200 Offshore Patrol Vessel scale model with Philippine Coast Guard colors once again, coupled with a multiple range of different scale models for offshore patrol vessel sizes still with the said colors, come as a sign that HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is serious in marketing and providing its solutions for the maritime law enforcement agency to consider, an indicator of its planned expansion in the Philippine maritime market.

With the role of the Philippine Coast Guard into ensuring the country’s presence in the West Philippine Sea, and also in expanding its current capability for Maritime Domain Awareness, they may have a chance in considering the offshore patrol vessels made by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries for its operations, as this boost the number of vessels that help complement the 97-meter Teresa Magbanua-class Multirole Response Vessels in patrolling and deterring Chinese activity in the West Philippine Sea.

This also goes similarly with the offer made by the Australian shipbuilder Austal, as it presented the Improved Cape-class Multirole Response Vessel as part of its offer to the Philippine Coast Guard. The presented offer goes primarily in line with the sixty-one (61) meter offshore patrol vessel requirement the maritime law enforcement agency seeks on as part of the forty-six (46) white hulls needed. This recent offer by Austal also deserves its own separate entry within this website resource medium.

Presentations provided by the shipbuilders also give an indication of the Philippine Coast Guard’s serious interest in improving the number of white-hulls in the fleet, expanding its capability of increasing its presence within the country’s territorial and Exclusive Economic Zone waters, while flying the flag and ensuring the country’s lawful operations in areas like the West Philippine Sea as they operate in coordination with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources or BFAR and the Philippine Navy.

The growth of the Philippine Coast Guard fleet also comes as part of its own modernization push, in which this goes differently to the ones typically discussed as part of the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program or RAFPMP, that typically comes with its own special item in the annually enacted General Appropriations Act. Both of which underscore the Philippine government’s need for improving its territorial defense posture, ensuring national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Looking forward, the Philippine Coast Guard’s desire to expand its fleet composition may help improve the capabilities of the Philippine government to use its resources that ensures national security and interest of the citizenry gets protected, especially with providing added support to the Filipino fisherfolk who make a livelihood in the high seas. Also, this ensures protection of the country’s waters against unwanted smugglers and intruders that puts more harm than good on the nation’s own well-being.

(c) 2024 PDA.

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