PH Navy man’s med evac delayed by China blockade for 10 hours

MANILA, Philippines — A medical emergency evacuation of a Philippine Navy sailor from BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal was delayed by more than 10 hours when the China Coast Guard blocked rescue efforts by responding Philippine vessels, officials said on Friday.

Retired Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said the sailor, who was suffering from abdominal pain, was eventually flown by helicopter to Puerto Princesa City for treatment around 9:45 a.m. on Friday.

Suspended mission

Chinese forces, including coast guard and naval vessels, and their maritime militia, have virtually blocked all access to the shoal where the Sierra Madre had been run aground to serve as one of the AFP’s outposts in the West Philippine Sea.

The latest Chinese action came barely two weeks after the AFP suspended a rotation and resupply mission to the Sierra Madre on Sept. 24 following aggressive maneuvers and warnings from Chinese vessels.

READ: Teodoro: Ayungin resupply to push through despite China interference

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Rear Adm. Jay Tarriela, accused China of disregarding the medical emergency as its vessels repeatedly blocked the emergency evacuation on Thursday.

“They never cared about the medical emergency. They never cared about our sick personnel on board BRP Sierra Madre,” Tarriela said at a press briefing Friday.

The PCG official said China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels obstructed the rescue mission despite explanations over the radio by Philippine personnel that the sailor needed urgent medical attention and might have difficulty boarding a smaller vessel.

READ: US hits China’s harassment of PH mission to Ayungin

“This goes beyond geopolitics, this goes beyond the territorial claim,” Tarriela said, stressing that assisting people facing medical emergencies was a moral obligation regardless of maritime disputes. China claims the shoal, about 194 kilometers west of Palawan and well within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.

Water cannon activated

The PCG’s BRP Cabra received a request from the AFP’s Western Command to help evacuate the sailor. It reached about 17 km north of Ayungin by 7:30 a.m. on Thursday when it first encountered a CCG ship.

The CCG ship then activated its water cannon while it approached the Cabra. Although the water cannon did not directly hit the Cabra, the Chinese ship’s actions threatened and prevented the PCG vessel from sailing closer to the Sierra Madre.

But the CCG repeatedly blocked the vessel’s approach, Tarriela said.

He said the Cabra radioed the Chinese ship to explain that the sailor needed medical evacuation and that transferring him aboard a smaller boat could be difficult because of his condition.

Smaller boat used

The PCG also said that the Sierra Madre might have insufficient fuel for its smaller boat following a recently aborted resupply mission.

According to Tarriela, the CCG insisted that BRP Sierra Madre use its own rubber boat to transport the patient, saying Chinese personnel had observed Filipino troops fishing, which supposedly indicated that they had enough fuel.

The Chinese also warned the Philippine vessel that it would bear the consequences of proceeding, he said.

Unable to move closer to the shoal, the Cabra deployed a rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) to get the sailor from the Sierra Madre. However, the CCG ship also launched its own RHIB and continued interfering with the Philippine team’s movements.

By 5 p.m., around 10 hours later, the sailor was finally boarded on the Cabra.

Tarriela said the operation could have taken only one to two hours had the Chinese allowed the Cabra to approach the Sierra Madre.

The sailor was transferred from the Cabra to the Navy’s BRP Valentin Diaz, which docked at Naval Detachment Oyster Bay where he was boarded on a Philippine Air Force Black Hawk helicopter for the flight to Puerto Princesa.

Earlier case of obstruction

In May 2024, Chinese vessels were also allegedly obstructed a medical evacuation at Ayungin, alongside interference with a Philippine operation to deliver supplies to the Sierra Madre.

The repeated encounters between Philippine and Chinese vessels have raised concerns over the safety of Filipino troops stationed at the remote outpost, where medical emergencies require coordination among the military, coast guard and other government agencies. /cb

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