Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commodore Jay Tarriela confirmed that it took them over 12 hours to rescue the injured Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel from the BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal last Monday.

In an interview with Malacañang reporters on Friday, Tarriela said the delay stemmed from the standoff with the China Coast Guard and People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy) vessels in the area during the rescue operation.

Tarriela said the operation aimed to retrieve a damaged AFP rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) and conduct the medical evacuation of the injured Filipino personnel from the BRP Sierra Madre.

“We learned about the injured AFP personnel as early as 10 a.m. The two vessels that we deployed, the BRP Cabra and BRP Bagacay, launched their RHIBs because we knew what happened to the AFP’s RHIB during their resupply mission attempt,” Tarriela said.

The official said the PCG had two objectives: to retrieve the damaged AFP RHIBs towed by the Chinese coast guard and conduct the medical evacuation of the injured.

“It took us two hours to secure our damaged RHIBs. For the AFP personnel, it wasn’t until around 10:30 p.m. that we were able to get them,” Tarriela said.