SUMMARY
MANILA, Philippines – Even until the very end – as Filipino soldiers were trying to evacuate a severely injured comrade from Ayungin Shoal to mainland Palawan – personnel of the China Coast Guard (CCG) blocked and harassed Philippine ships in the West Philippine Sea.
The disclosure was made by the injured soldier himself, Seaman First Class Underwater Operator Jeffrey Facundo, during a Senate probe into the incident on Tuesday, June 25.
Facundo lost his right thumb when the CCG stopped a June 17 military resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal. The soldier, a member of the elite Naval Special Operations Command (NAVSOCOM or NAVSOG), was injured when the CCG rammed the Philippine Navy’s rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) at high-speed. His thumb was hit by the …