3 PN ships, 2 RAN vessels to participate in Exercise 'Lumbas'

From the Philippine News Agency (11): 3 PN ships, 2 RAN vessels to participate in Exercise 'Lumbas'

Three Philippine Navy ships (PN) and two vessels of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) will be participating in Exercise "Lumbas" which started Monday and will end on October 21.

Lt. Bennet Christian P. Nuevarez, Exercise "Lumbas" public affairs office chief, said the Australian ships are the HMAS Larrakia and HMAS Glenelg while the Filipino vessels are the BRP Abraham Campo, BRP Batak and BRP Agta.

"Lumbas" started in 1998 and is annual exercise between the PN and RAN.

BRP Abraham Campo is a Navarette-class gunboat while BRPs Batak and Agta are the former "Balikpapan" class landing craft heavies acquired from the RAN in 2014 and delivered in 2015.

While HMAS Larrakia and Glenelg are Armidable-class patrol boats of the Royal Australian Navy.

The maneuvers formally opened at 8:00 a.m. at Naval Forces Central, Naval Base Rafael Ramos, Barangay Lo-oc, Lapu-Lapu City.

Acting as keynote speaker and guest-of-honor was Central Command head Major Gen. Raul L. Del Rosario.

Exercise "Lumbas" aims to enhance inter-operability and strengthen partnership between the PN and the RAN and validate, enhance and evaluate combined/respective doctrines, techniques, tactics and procedures for threat from the sea, piracy and other scenarios.

Representatives from local and national government agencies such as the Regional Maritime Group, Philippine Coast Guard, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, Bureau of Quarantine, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Provincial Risk Reduction and Management Council and Cebu Port Authority were invited to participate in the command exercises and subject matter expert exchanges.

Nuevarez said at-sea exercises will be held off the Camotes Sea northeast Cebu while tabletop exercises will be held at Naval Forces Central headquarters in Toledo City.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=930417