French frigate to visit Manila

A LIGHT patrol frigate of the French Navy is set to arrive next week in the country for a “goodwill visit,” according to the Philippine Navy.

Capt. Lued Lincuna, Navy spokesman, over the weekend said the French Navy ship, Ven

demiaire, is scheduled to dock on Monday and will be welcomed by the Philippine Navy at Pier 9, South Harbor in Manila.

Lincuna added that the “goodwill visit” will be from March 12 to 16.

“The vessel is a Floréal-classlight surveillance frigate of the French Marine Nationale [French Navy],” he said, adding that Philippine Navy delegates will render the customary welcome ceremony arrival for the visiting vessel.

The French Navy’s Vendemiaire is under the command of Commander Alexander Blonce.

The warship will come from Brunei Darussalam where it stopped for a two-day visit.

The visit of the French frigate came a month after the USSCarlVinson, carrying more than 5,500 US sailors, arrived in the Philippines before it since the Vietnam war in the 1960s.

The US super carrier also went on a patrol in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea), launching

The visit of the longest- serving ship of the United States to Vietnam upset China, saying that such “will not generate any special tools to pressure” the country, which reportedly has been building military bases in the West Philippine Sea.