A Philippine Navy sailor with a medical emergency at Ayungin Shoal has been flown to Puerto Princesa City, arriving on Friday, October 9. The trip almost did not happen, because Chinese Coast Guard vessels blocked the evacuation for more than ten hours first. The Armed Forces of the Philippines confirmed the case through Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, its spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea. Ayungin Shoal, known internationally as Second Thomas Shoal, lies in the Spratly Islands, where Philippine and Chinese forces operate within sight of each other. The Philippines maintains a small detachment on a deliberately grounded World War II-era warship at the reef, a setup Beijing has challenged for years. Chinese vessels routinely interfere with resupply runs there, at times with water cannons or blocking maneuvers. A stalled medical evacuation adds a sharper edge to that long-running friction, since holdups of ten hours can matter a lot when someone's health is failing. The sailor's condition and how he is recovering have not been spelled out in the initial reports.