The Malvar class is a ship class of patrol corvettes of the Philippine Navy and are currently its oldest class of corvettes. These ships were formerly used by the US Navy as Admirable-class minesweepers, and PCE-842-class and PCE(R)-848 class patrol craft, which were both based on the Admirable-class hull. In the Philippine Navy, the vessels have undergone upgrades and modifications, and have been re-categorized as corvettes. One ship, the ex-USN USS Quest was supposedly a member of this class but was converted into a non-combatant Presidential Yacht by the Philippine Navy in 1948 as RPS Pag-asa (APO-21) (later on renamed as RPS Santa Maria, and as RPS/BRP Mount Samat)^[4]

Quick Facts Class overview, General characteristics ...

BRP Cebu (PS-28)
Class overview
Name	Malvar class
Builders	Pullman Standard Car Manufacturing Co.; Albina Engine and Machine Works; Willamette Iron and Steel Corp.; Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding; US
Operators	Philippine Navy
Succeeded by	Rizal class
Active	1
Lost	1
Retired	9
General characteristics
Type	Patrol corvette (as originally transferred) Gun corvette (later, upon removal of all ASW ability)
Displacement	914 tons (full load) 640 tons (standard)
Length	184.5 ft (56.2 m)
Beam	33 ft (10 m)
Draft	9.4 ft (2.9 m) on PCE-842-class patrol craft hulls 9.75 ft (2.97 m) on Admirable-class minesweeper hulls
Installed power	3 gens[1] 2 × GM6-71 diesel engines with 100KW gen 1 × GM3-268A diesel engine with 60KW gen
Propulsion	2 × GM12-278A diesel engines [1] with a combined 2,200 hp (1,600 kW) (previous) 2 × GM12-567ATL diesel engines (original) 2 × Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines
Speed	from last engine replacement: 1.6MW power[1] 16 knots max 14 knots sustained 12 knots economy from original engines or 1st replacement or both 15.7 knots max (on PCE-842-class patrol craft hulls) 14.8 knots max (on Admirable-class minesweeper hulls)
Range	6,600 nmi at 11 knots (20 km/h)
Complement	85
Sensors and processing systems	Raytheon AN/SPS-64(V)11 nav & surface-search radar (1990-1992 refits: PS-19, PS-22, PS-31, & PS-32) (1992-1993 refits: PS-23 & PS-28)[2] SPS-50 Surface Search Radar (on PS-23) SPS-21D Surface Search Radar (on PS-19 and PS-28) CRM-NIA-75 Surface Search Radar (on PS-29, PS-31, and PS-32) SPS-53A Surface Search Radar (on PS-20) RCA SPN-18 I/J-band Navigation Radar [3] Sonar (either removed during 1990-1993 overhaul & refits[3] or 1980s;[2] if not in the 1960s for the 5 ships that arrived in 1975)
Armament	SuW-AAW[1][2] 1 × 76mm/50L (3-inch 50-calibresLong) dual-purpose cannon on a Mk.22 mount Bofors 40mm AA rapid-fire cannons (in 1 of ff config): 3 × twin-barrel[1] 2 × single-barrel[1] 3 × single-barrel (claimed from some photo sources) none at all (transferred to PhMC for their ground-based AA weapons)[2] Oerlikon 20 mm AA rapid-fire cannons: 3[2] or 4 units[1]) 4 × M2 Browning 50cal (12.7 mm) heavy machine guns A number of 30cal medium machine guns Removed Armaments 4 of 1st 6 ships transferred in 1948: Either during the 1990-1993 overhaul & refits[3] Or the 1980's [2]) Last 5 ships arrived in 1975: Either during 1960's before their transfer to RVNN Or (except maybe PS-18) along with 4 of the 1st 6 ships ASW 1 × Hedgehog antisubmarine mortar projector 4 × K-gun depth charge projectors 2 × depth charge rails SuW-AAW Bofors 40mm twin-barrel AA rapid-fire cannons (either only certain ships[1] or all the remaining ships [2]) MCM gears (from the 3 minesweeper-variant hulls Admirable-class)

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In 2021 December 10, the remaining 2 ships of this class were finally decommissioned, and so the remaining WW2-era vessels are only the 5 armed transport-types (3 LCUs & 2 LSTs) during that time. That event was supposed to mark the end of the era of using WW2 combatants but supertyphoon Odette hit the Philippines just 6 days after their decommissioning, and so BRP Magat Salamat (PS-20) was forced "to set sail again with a volunteer force composed mainly of its last crew as a temporary command post for the duration of the relief operations in Dinagat Islands which was severely devastated", as reported by Philippine News Agency.^[5]

But to begin with, the replacements for all the WW2-era vessels was originally planned for the 2000s under the 1995-2010 Philippine Military Modernization Law, however this law was largely ignored for various reasons, including overdependence on the US via their 1951 MDT and 1998 VFA, among others. Some Filipinos blamed the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis as the core reason but in actuality the Philippine economy grew by 5.2% in 1997, only contracted -0.6% in 1998, and then quickly rebounded 3.1% in 1999, and onwards; it even weathered the Global Financial crisis of 2007-2008 where, by 2009, most countries were on the negative while the Philippines managed at 1.1%, while 7.15% and 4.15% in 2007 and 2008, respectively. The modernization law expired in 2010 February 23 without even a single hint of reviving it during that time. The Philippines only thought of reviving it when the Scarborough Shoal standoff erupted in 2012 April 8.

The PCE class of naval ships served with the United States Navy during the Second World War.

Out of the reserved US Navy units, six were transferred to the Philippines as part of the US Military Assistance Program (PS-28 to PS-33), while five were former South Vietnamese Navy units that escaped to the Philippines in 1975.

With 40 years of active duty with the Philippine Navy, ships of this class have been involved in local and international crisis, exercises, and incidents.

Originally the ship was armed with one 3"/50 caliber dual purpose gun, two to six Bofors 40 mm guns, 1 Hedgehog depth charge projector, four depth charge projectiles (K-guns) and two depth charge tracks.^[6]

The same configuration applied up until the late 1980s when the Philippine Navy removed most of its old anti-submarine weapons and systems, and three 20 mm Oerlikon guns and four 12.7 mm general purpose machine guns were installed, making it lighter and more suited for surface patrols, but losing its limited anti-submarine warfare capability.^[2]

The ship was originally powered by two Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines, but these were replaced by two GM 12-567ATL diesel engines similar to her sister ships, with a combined rating of around 1,710 bhp (1,280 kW). These were then again replaced in the mid 1990s with two GM 12-278A diesels with a combined rating of around 2,200 bhp (1,600 kW) driving two propellers. The main engines can propel the 914-ton (full load) ship to a maximum speed of around 16 knots (30 km/h).^[1]

• BRP Miguel Malvar (PS-19)
• BRP Pangasinan (PS-31) at CARAT 2011-Philippines
• RPS Samar (M-33) flying Philippine colors but still wearing U.S. Navy hull number circa 1948.