China slammed over West Philippine Sea ‘PR stunt’

MANILA, Philippines — Civil society group Atin Ito Coalition blasted China yesterday for an alleged public relations stunt involving Chinese soldiers coming to the aid of a stranded Filipino fisherman on Christmas Day.

In a statement, the group, which has led several civilian missions to the West Philippine Sea, said it “strongly rejects China’s deceptive, self-serving and propaganda-driven public relations campaign following its so-called assistance to a distressed Filipino fisher on Christmas Day.”

“We recognize the universal duty to assist people in distress at sea. But what China did was not humanitarianism, it is image management. It is propaganda-driven assistance meant to distract us from years of harassment, violence and illegal incursions,” Atin Ito co-convenor Rafaela David said.

David, who is also president of the Akbayan Party, noted that China’s account does not even align with established facts in their so-called humanitarian assistance incident.

While China claimed the fisherman had been missing for three days, she said the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) clarified that he had been safely anchored to a payao (fish aggregating device) for less than 24 hours, waiting for retrieval by his mother boat.

“This raises the most basic and unavoidable question. Why was China patrolling inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the first place? No act of assistance, however welcome, grants permission to trespass. No gesture of kindness erases repeated acts of harassment and violence in our waters,” she stressed.

Atin Ito warned against China’s attempt to allegedly sanitize its long record of abuse through a single, highly publicized incident.

“China should stop pretending that a bottle of water and a pack of snacks can wipe away years of harassment,” David said, recalling that days earlier, China Coast Guard vessels water-cannoned Filipino fishers in Escoda Shoal and carried out coercive maneuvers that damaged two fishing boats.

‘Fisherman felt threatened’

According to Commander Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman on WPS Issues, the fisherman, identified as Larry Tumalis, felt threatened by the approaching People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy ship, hence his placard saying “HELP ME.”

“When he saw the PLA Navy warship, he was afraid because he was alone, thinking he might be harassed since China launched (a rigid-hulled inflatable boat, or RHIB),” Tarriela told radio dzBB yesterday.

Following the incident, Tarriela questioned whether the Chinese Navy had a “change of heart after Christmas.”

“I want to know from the Chinese Ambassador, are they now recognizing and respecting the rights of Filipino fishermen?” he asked. — Ghio Ong