The Philippines dispatched two warships and about 570 personnel to Rim of the Pacific military exercises for the first time, sending the message that its navy is making a comeback and the island nation intends to be more of a strategic player in the South China Sea.

At Saturday’s ship visit day at a very crowded Pearl Harbor, the Philippine navy showed off the 404-foot BRP Davao del Sur. Built by Indonesia and commissioned in 2017, the $46 million amphibious ship is one of two the country has available to put marines ashore using a rear well deck and landing craft.

The frigate BRP Andres Bonifacio, the former U.S. Coast Guard cutter Boutwell, also made the voyage to Hawaii.

The Philippines is going through an ongoing military modernization to replace aging equipment that in some cases dates back to World War II.

Commodore Toribio Adaci Jr., head of the Philippine navy delegation, said participation at RIMPAC “is a statement that we show to the Filipino people and other friends and partners that the Filipino navy and the armed forces of the Philippines is trying very hard to level up its capabilities.”

The event was open to military ID holders and their families, and the Davao del Sur had logged over 2,000 visitors by the afternoon.

Mililani resident Catherine Rota took a selfie of her family group of six in the well deck, with twin landing craft behind her.

“I’m from the Philippines and this is from the Philippines, and I wanted to see inside,” she said.

The Philippines also sent an Agusta Westland AW-109 naval helicopter, with the expectation its pilots will practice landing on other nations’ ships. Landing craft will be making a ship-to-shore trek.

“There are a lot of training opportunities available in RIMPAC,” Adaci said. “Of course there are certain complex activities which we may not be able to participate in … but it’s good if we can send people to observe how they do it.”

Participation in the prestigious RIMPAC, which ends Aug. 2, is full of symbolism, not the least of which for Southeast Asian nations siding with the United States on security interests at a time when the region is caught in a tug of war between China and America.

The Philippines’ increased participation signifies the nation is maintaining its relationship with the United States, and is one element of what retired Navy captain and Hawaii Pacific University adjunct professor Carl Schuster called a counter-balance strategy.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte “has to get along with China. He doesn’t really have the capability to confront them,” Schuster told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “At the same time, he needs to build his (military) capability and show that his capability is built to deter any (Chinese) action.”

Duterte so far has been able to juggle the benefit of Chinese investment while remaining under the U.S. security blanket.

Ralph Cossa, president emeritus and WSD-Handa chair in peace studies at the Pacific Forum, a think tank in Honolulu, said the Philippine ships’ participation in RIMPAC “is a big step forward” for that country’s navy and is being highlighted as a “coming of age” event by Manila.

“It will be interesting to see if the Chinese decide to punish Manila for this action in some subtle or not so subtle way,” Cossa said in an email. “At this point, everyone is becoming accustomed to Duterte trying to have his cake and eat it too.”

A South Korean shipbuilder has begun construction on the first of two 2,600-ton frigates for the Philippines, which also wants to acquire submarines.