The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is demanding P60 million in damage from the Chinese government in connection with the June 17 confrontation near the Ayungin Shoal involving Filipino soldiers and Chinese Coast Guard personnel.
AFP chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner said he already forwarded a letter to the Department of National Defense (DND) which states the demand to return those forcibly taken by the Chinese Coast Guard personnel, including firearms.
“I already sent a letter to the SND Secretary of National Defense so that my letter could be also transmitted to the Department of Foreign Affairs for them to reach out to their counterparts in China,” said Brawner.
In the letter, Brawner said he demanded the return of the firearms that were forcibly taken by Chinese Coast Guard. The seven firearms were inside a box that were picked up by the Chinese Coast Guard when they boarded the AFP vessel.
He said the AFP also conducted and assessment of the damage as a result of the confrontation which include the damage on two rubber boats.
“When we estimated the cost of the damage, it’s P60 million. So we are demanding that china pay 60 million pesos for the damage that they caused during that,” said Brawner.
Aside from the return of the firearms and the payment of damage, Brawner said they are also looking into the possibility of charging the Chinese government of all the medical expenses for the Filipino soldier who lost a finger during the June 17 incident.
“We are also looking into the possibility of charging them with the cost of restructuring the hand of SN1 (Jeffrey) Facundo because he underwent operation in order to return the normal function of his hand,” said Brawner.
The Philippine and Chinese governments are currently talking through a Bilateral Consultation Meeting which is aimed at deescalating the tension in the West Philippine Sea following the June 17 incident at the Ayungin Shoal.
Brawner said that they are hoping that the Chinese government would not ignore the demand of the AFP through the ongoing discussions between Philippines and Chinese officials.
“We are hoping that they would accede to the demands that we are making… because what they did was really illegal acts, so they should be held accountable,” said Brawner.