MANILA, Philippines — The captain of a Filipino fishing boat rammed by a Chinese vessel will no longer meet with President Rodrigo Duterte, according to a report.
Junel Insigne, captain of F/B GimVer 1, was on his way to Manila on Sunday when his wife called him and told him to return to their home in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, according to a report from radio dzMM.
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The captain, along with the owner of the boat, were supposed to meet with Duterte on Monday.
This development comes after a special Cabinet meeting on the sinking of the Philippine boat was canceled.
Duterte and Cabinet members were supposed to discuss the response of the government on the collision of a Chinese vessel and Filipino boat near Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea.
Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea confirmed that the meeting scheduled Monday was canceled.
On June 12, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana released a statement condemning the actions of a Chinese trawler that rammed the Filipino boat, leaving 22 fishermen "to the mercy of the elements."
The Filipino boat was anchored and stationary when it was hit by the Chinese ship, which immediately left the scene after the collision.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila, meanwhile, claimed that the captain of the offending vessel attempted to rescue the Filipino fishermen but "was suddenly besieged by seven or eight Filipino fishing boats."
Beijing had also called out Manila for supposedly politicizing the incident without verification.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang called the collision in the West Philippine Sea as "an ordinary maritime traffic accident."
The Philippine Navy contradicted the remarks of China, pointing out that the Filipino fishing vessel was anchored when the incident occurred.
"The ship was rammed. This is not a normal maritime accident," Navy chief Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad said. — Patricia Lourdes Viray