During the inauguration of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Subic Agila Shipyard on September 2, 2025, South Korea’s Ambassador to the Philippines, Lee Sang-hwa, confirmed that the BRP Diego Silang (FFG-07) will be handed over to the Philippine Navy next week. The vessel represents the second unit of the Miguel Malvar-class frigates, which are based on Hyundai’s HDF-3200 design.
The Miguel Malvar-class builds on the earlier HDF-2600 platform that produced the Jose Rizal-class frigates already serving in the Philippine Navy. Under Horizon 2 of the Revised AFP Modernization Program, the Corvette Acquisition Project initially evaluated proposals from shipbuilders in Türkiye, Israel, France, the Netherlands, Germany, India, and South Korea before selecting Hyundai Heavy Industries in 2021.
Hyundai’s winning HDC-3100 (HDF-3200) design introduced improvements such as larger displacement, a vertical launching system, and upgraded sensors, leading to the vessels being reclassified from corvettes to guided-missile frigates. Each ship, BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG-06) and BRP Diego Silang (FFG-07), carries a cost of PHP 12.5 billion ($250 million).
Construction on the pair began in 2023, with delivery scheduled for 2025–2026. The contract continues Manila’s strong defense cooperation with Hyundai, following earlier agreements for Jose Rizal-class frigates in 2016 and offshore patrol vessels in 2022.
