Sick Navyman evacuated from BRP Sierra Madre

PN spokesperson for WPS Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad (PNA file photo by Priam F. Nepomuceno)

By Priam Nepomuceno, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – A soldier who fell ill while deployed at the BRP Sierra Madre was successfully evacuated, a ranking Phillippine Navy official said Tuesday.

The Palawan-based Western Command, in coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), mounted the operation on July 7.

“We would like to thank the Coast Guard for being part of the effort to ensure the safety and security of our people deployed on BRP Sierra Madre,” Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS), Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, said in a media briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

The sick soldier was taken to Camp Ricarte Station Hospital in the City of Puerto Princesa.

“We would like to ask you to please check with the Coast Guard (on the) tactical details. From the perspective of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines), we were able to successfully evacuate one of our personnel,” Trinidad said when asked if the China Coast Guard (CCG) and other Chinese vessels tried to interfere with the medical evacuation.

Trinidad said there was no rotation and resupply mission conducted on the day of the medical evacuation.

He reiterated that the AFP will maintain its presence all over the nine disputed WPS features.

This came after reports said that the CCG’s 12,000-ton “monster ship” with bow number 5901, is in the vicinity of Sabina Shoal, also known as Escoda Shoal.

He stressed that the BRP Sierra Madre will remain in Ayungin Shoal.

“We will not give up that ship. It is an indication of the government’s stand. It is the mandate of the AFP to ensure the integrity of the national territory,” Trinidad noted.

Based on the Navy’s latest monitoring, 94 ships were spotted in various WPS features from July 2 to 8.