Newly installed Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Antonio G. Nafarrete faced his first major security test on Wednesday, July 22, after two Philippine Navy (PN) sailors were injured during a confrontation with the China Coast Guard (CCG) at Ayungin Shoal, prompting a medical evacuation mission that Manila said was carried out solely under Philippine authority.

The tense confrontation occurred on July 20, a day before Nafarrete assumed command of the 160,000-strong military on July 21, placing him at the forefront of one of the country's most sensitive territorial disputes.

Speaking to reporters, Nafarrete defended the actions of the troops stationed aboard the BRP Sierra Madre (LS-57), saying they acted professionally despite the violence.

“I think they were doing their job very professionally. What happened there was they were hit by a blow. They were simply telling them to get away from LS-57. That is ours. That is our military post,” Nafarrete said.

A routine patrol near BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal turned violent after a CCG rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) carrying eight personnel approached within 20 to 30 meters of the Philippine military outpost and began taking close-range photos and videos, according to the AFP.

PN personnel deployed two rubber boats to drive the unauthorized vessel away from the exclusion zone in a non-confrontational manner, leading to a heated clash which left two Filipino sailors injured, including one who sustained wounds on his head. Manila and Beijing issued conflicting claims over responsibility for the incident.

Nafarrete said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. immediately sought an update on the incident during a briefing.

“The President asked to be briefed on what actually happened and on the actions we had taken. We informed him that the two personnel are already safe,” he said.

The AFP chief said the President's immediate priority remains security preparations for the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) but directed sustained monitoring of the injured sailors.

“The immediate order is for us to prepare for the BARMM elections because that is one of our nearest major security operations. As for what happened, he wants us to continue monitoring the situation and the condition of our injured personnel,” Nafarrete said.

Asked what guidance he had given troops aboard the grounded BRP Sierra Madre should Chinese vessels attempt another approach, Nafarrete said the military would not back down.

“We have to stand our ground. It is ours. Rest assured that we will do our jobs. I think our personnel are ready for it. We also have our rules of engagement there,” he said.

“It has been intense, although the welcome has also been warm. I am up to the challenge. Moving forward, we just have to sustain what has already been put in place because all the systems are already there,” he added.

He also appealed to soldiers to remain disciplined amid the continuing tensions.

“To the men and women of the AFP, let us continue our professionalism. We are professionals. Let us keep our commitment to secure and protect our land,” Nafarrete said.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said it immediately dispatched BRP Melchora Aquino and BRP Malapascua after receiving orders from PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil L. Gavan to evacuate the injured sailors.

Both vessels sailed on July 20 and reached Ayungin Shoal the following morning. The two injured Navy personnel were transferred to BRP Melchora Aquino on Tuesday afternoon where they received treatment from a PCG medical officer.

The PCG said one sailor suffered a laceration on the parietal area of the head and a contusion hematoma on the arm due to blunt trauma. The other sustained a laceration on the index finger with reduced grip strength in the right hand. Nonetheless, both were reported to be in stable condition.

The PCG said CCG vessels attempted to block the evacuation by deploying their own RHIBs. Despite the interference, the humanitarian mission was completed successfully.

In a statement by the Chinese military, it said that it “allowed” the medical evacuation of the Filipino sailors out of “humanitarian consideration.”

However, the AFP rejected China's claim, saying Manila “does not ask for, nor does it require, the permission of any foreign nation to conduct operations within its own exclusive economic zone (EEZ).”

It stressed that Ayungin Shoal, which is located around 105 nautical miles west of Palawan, lies within the country’s 200-nautical mile EEZ under the 2016 Arbitral Award and that the evacuation was conducted solely under Philippine authority.

The AFP dismissed the Chinese military's statement as “a false narrative intended to project illegitimate authority where none exists.”

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) pledged continued coordination with the AFP under Nafarrete's leadership.

Police Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr., PNP Chief, attended the Change of Command Ceremony at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

He said the police organization looks forward to strengthening cooperation with the military in intelligence sharing, joint operations, disaster response, counterterrorism, and other national security efforts under the guidance of President Marcos and Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla.