‘Navy sailor’s thumb reattached’

MANILA, Philippines — Following a June 17 confrontation with the China Coast Guard (CCG) in Ayungin Shoal, a Philippine Navy service member’s thumb has been reattached, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said yesterday.

“His finger has been restored. It is now functioning well, normally. I think it was two months ago when it was reattached,” Brawner said.

“With the help of our doctors and partners, such as the Makati Medical Foundation, the soldier’s thumb has been restored,” he noted.

Seaman First Class Underwater Operator Jeffrey Facundo lost his thumb after a CCG vessel rammed a Philippine rubber boat during a resupply mission.

Facundo has returned to duty in the West Philippine Sea after the surgery two months ago, Brawner said.

The AFP demanded China to pay P60 million in damages and losses and return stolen firearms.

The CCG punctured two rigid-hulled inflatable boats and damaged navigational and communications equipment.

“The P60 million doesn’t even include the damage caused to our Navy personnel who lost his finger,” Brawner noted.

China has yet to respond, he said.

“We sent a letter to the Department of Foreign Affairs so they could include this in our demands. We will continue to demand that it is our right. They are at fault. They stole our equipment. They should return it,” Brawner said.

China demanded the removal of the Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal, supposedly as part of a “gentleman’s agreement” with the previous Duterte administration, in exchange for continuing dialogue with the Philippines.

China has no right to be in Ayungin Shoal, a low-tide elevation that lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, as per the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 arbitral award.

Meanwhile, the Philippines and the European Union reiterated their strong opposition to illegal, coercive, aggressive and dangerous actions in the South China Sea.

They urged parties to refrain from threat or use of force and adding uncertainty to the region through unilateral acts.