DND cites good coordination in PH Navy’s aiding of sick Australian sailor

DND Spokesman Peter Paul Galvez  INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—When the Philippine Navy responded to help a sick Australian sailor, the Department of National Defense said Wednesday that the extent of help was just a sign of interoperability.

DND Spokesman Peter Paul Galvez said that when the Philippine Navy Central Command in Cebu received a distress signal from the Australian submarine, Filipino navymen rushed to help.

“There was a distress call so we came to help,” Galvez said. “There was coordination between the two sides.”

He said that there was no problem of an incursion from the Australians as they asked permission from the Navy before entering Philippine territories.

“It was interoperability between the Australians and the Navy, before they entered our waters,” Galvez said.

Philippine Navy’s BF339 conducted a rendezvous with the Australian submarine to pick up the sailor who was suffering from appendicitis from the docked submarine in Tacloban.

“We will help any sailor or seamen out there,” Galvez said.

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