In journalism, and especially in the beats I’ve been assigned to, there will be situations where you take a pause, make you second-guess yourself, and think: Wow, is this real life? It’s what I felt the first time I was embedded in the Philippines’ BRP Melchora Aquino for a resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal. The closer we approached Ayungin, the closer the China Coast Guard (CCG) and the Chinese Maritime Militia (CCM) got to us. At one point, I could make out the faces of the CCG crew as they dutifully documented us…
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