Presidential yacht to be “BRP Ang Pangulo” again

After a mere two-and-a-half years as BRP Pag-asa, the presidential yacht is due to be re-christened as the BRP Ang Pangulo this month. In a statement to the Philippine Star, Philippine Navy spokesman LTC Omar Tonsay announced that the renaming ceremony would take place on December 14, and would coincide with the commissioning of PF-15 and LCU-296.

The yacht had held the name “Ang Pangulo” since July 1, 1971, when President Marcos chose to translate its previous name “RPS The President” to Filipino. She assumed the name Pag-asa on the 50th commissioning ceremony during the Arroyo administration. The yacht entered Philippine service on April 2, 1959 and had been given to the Philippines by the government of Japan as part of a war reparations package.

AT-25 is coming out of a series of overhauls and refurbishments. The most recent being an engine overhaul project that was opened for bidding in March 2011. It was scheduled for drydock in 2010, however as of writing it is unclear if this effort went ahead.

For additional information, and photographs, of AT-25, see the following discussion on the Timawa.net forum.