WPS advocates slam China ‘propaganda’ on assisted PH fisher

MANILA, Philippines — West Philippine Sea (WPS) experts and advocates on Saturday warned against what they called Beijing’s “propaganda” stunt, referring to recent social media posts about a stranded Filipino fisher receiving aid from Chinese naval personnel in the form of three packs of biscuits and a bottle of water.

They said the posts, made by the Chinese Embassy in Manila on Friday, might be signalling a “nuanced shift in their tactics” to sanitize China’s image while its trespassing continues on the country’s exclusive economic zone.

Rafaela David, lead convenor of Atin Ito, a coalition that had led civilian missions asserting Philippine sovereignty in the WPS, dismissed the show of “assistance” as a distraction from China’s acts of aggression already well documented in the international press.

READ: PCG dismisses China warship aid to ‘frightened’ Zambales fisher

“Let’s not be fooled by China’s propaganda,” David, who is also the president of Akbayan party, said in a statement. “What China did was not humanitarianism, it is image management, it is propaganda-driven assistance.”

Rommel Jude Ong, a retired Philippine Navy rear admiral and professor at Ateneo School of Government, shared the observation.

“The recent incident is obviously propaganda to create the narrative that China is a benign and friendly neighbor,” said Ong in a message to the Inquirer.

“The real challenge for them is their consistency of empathy; otherwise, this is just an episodic gesture from their end,” said Chester Cabalza, president of the Manila-based think tank International Development and Security Cooperation.

Ong and Cabalza also noted that the move came following Beijing’s appointment of a new ambassador, Jing Quan, to the Philippines.

“We might be seeing a nuanced shift in their tactics at sea,” Ong said. “[They] timed it with the installation of a new ambassador in Manila; this would provide a fresh start to allow a recalibration of bilateral relations.”

The Philippines is also set to assume the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in 2026, when the country is expected to resume the longtime push for a code of conduct among claimant countries in the South China Sea.

“Let us see the pattern next year, if Beijing is true enough to its act of benevolence this season,” Cabalza said.

Amplified by ‘DDS’

Ong said the move was possibly also intended to “make [Vice President] Sara Duterte (appear as) a more palatable alternative” in the 2028 presidential elections.

The two Facebook posts of the Chinese Embassy about the fisherman gained traction partly because they were amplified by supporters of Sara’s father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, whose term saw the Philippines warming up to China in exchange for loans and investments.

One of the embassy’s posts read: “On December 25, the Chinese Navy ship 174 provided swift humanitarian assistance to a distressed Philippine fishing vessel in the South China Sea, delivering essential food and water to fisherman who had been stranded for three days due to engine failure, while coordinating follow-up support with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).”

The posts came with photos of the fisherman, Larry Tumalis, taken by crewmen from the People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN) as they were handing him water. One image showed Tumalis on his boat holding a sign that read “Help Me.”

Disputed by PCG

Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson on the WPS, however, disputed the embassy’s account of the encounter, particularly about the fisherman supposedly being stranded for three days.

Tarriela said Tumalis’ boat was already found by its mother vessel, FBCA Gavin, and PCG personnel onboard BRP Cape San Agustin, less than 24 hours after the fisherman had an engine problem.

But the PCG official nevertheless thanked the PLAN for “providing a bottle of water and three packs of biscuits” to Tumalis.

David said “China should stop pretending that a bottle of water and a pack of snacks can wipe away years of harassment.”

She noted that the encounter reported by the embassy took place around two weeks after the China Coast Guard (CCG) fired its water cannon on a group of Filipino fishermen to drive them away from Escoda (Sabina) Shoal.

The harassment left three fishermen injured, the PCG said.

The posts about Tumalis also made it to Chinese state media, with China Daily and Global Times publishing articles about the encounter.

China Daily described the PLAN’s action as a reflection of China’s commitment to “peaceful maritime cooperation and the protection of lives at sea, regardless of nationality.”

It also criticized Tarriela’s statement for reframing the assistance to make “unsubstantiated criticisms” and “pointed remarks,” saying this response from the Philippine official weakens the goodwill behind the action.

The Global Times article noted that rescues in the South China Sea are routine practice and not unusual, and that Chinese maritime forces carry out such operations in line with international conventions, reflecting Beijing’s commitment to providing public maritime services.

Rescuing vessels in distress is a “purely humanitarian and routine public service” that is separate from any political context imposed by the Philippine side, it said. —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH