(Eagle News)–The captain and the cook of the fishing boat that was sunk upon collision with a Chinese vessel in the West Philippine Sea on June 9 will not push through with a meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, June 17.
Captain Jonel Insigne is reportedly too traumatized to travel to Manila from Occidental Mindoro for the meeting.
Later in the day, Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol said cook Richard Blasa would also not make it.
The President has yet to speak on the incident that saw a Chinese vessel ramming F/B Gem-Ver 1 and leaving the 22 Filipinos–including Blasa and Insigne.
The Filipino boat ended up sinking.
A Vietnamese vessel rescued the 22 Filipinos.
But the Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo has already condemned the incident, and the Department of Foreign Affairs has filed a diplomatic protest in connection with the incident.
The Chinese embassy admitted it was a Chinese vessel that hit the boat but said no hit-and-run took place.
The embassy said the Chinese vessel made sure other Filipino boats were rescuing the 22 after the collision.
