MANILA -- The two missile-armed frigates now being constructed by South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) will be named BRP Antonio Luna and BRP Jose Rizal, two of the country's leading patriots.

This was bared by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana when asked on the possible names of the two ships Thursday.

He added that these names are fitting as they are of Filipino heroes.

Rizal, the country's national hero, is known for his writings, which inspired the Philippine Revolution, against the abuses committed by Spanish colonial authorities while Luna is known for his staunch resistance against the Americans during the Philippine-American War.

The construction of the first missile-armed frigates is going smoothly, Philippine Navy (PN) flag-officer-in-command Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad said earlier.

"(Construction for) our (first-missile) frigate is moving forward, darating na s’ya sa February (or) March of 2020, all systems go and we should very happy, we should be happy for our country," he added.

The keel-laying for the first-missile-armed frigate took place last Oct. 16 in Ulsan, South Korea while the steel-cutting for the second ship took place last September 17.

HHI is expected to lay the keel for the second frigate by the first quarter of 2019.

The Philippines and HHI signed a PHP16-billion contract for two missile-armed frigates, with another PHP2 billion set aside for its weapon systems and munition. The projected delivery date for the first frigate is by 2020 and the second one, in 2021.

“The ceremony was conducted at the building dock number 6 of the Special and Naval Shipbuilding Division of HHI. Three blocks of the first PN frigate (with HHI Project Number 159) was installed on the dock,” Capt. Sergio Bartolome, the PN officer supervising the project, earlier said.

Keel-laying formally starts the ship construction and is among the four highlights of a vessel’s life, with the other three being launching, commissioning and decommissioning.

The keel is also considered the backbone of any ship and its breakage will result in the destruction and sinking of any water craft. The steel-cutting for the first frigate took place last April. (PNA)