SHIP
The BRP Gregorio del Pilar, the Philippines’ first Hamilton-class warship, docks at the Port of Manila, yesterday. The BRP Gregorio del Pilar was a decommissioned ship of the US Coast Guard purchased by the Philippine Navy in May for P450mn ($10.7mn). Authorities have expressed hope that the new ship would help prevent intrusions into the country’s territorial waters especially in the disputed South China Sea. Tensions between China and the Philippines escalated in recent months due to allegations by Manila that Beijing had stepped up its aggression against rival claimants.