Atin Ito, a broad civil society coalition committed to advancing the rights and welfare of Filipino fishers and frontliners in the West Philippine Sea, rejected China’s assistance to a distressed Filipino fisher as a deceptive, self-serving, and propaganda-driven public relations campaign.
“We recognize the universal duty to assist people in distress at sea. But what China did was not humanitarianism, it was image management. It is propaganda-driven assistance meant
to distract us from years of harassment, violence and illegal incursions,” said Atin To Coalition co-convenor Rafaela David.
David, who is also president of Akbayan Party, noted several loopholes in China’s narrative.
While China claimed the fisherman had been adrift for three days, the Philippine Coast Guard said he had been safely anchored to a payao 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 added.
Atin Ito warned against China’s attempt to 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.
“Propaganda-driven assistance does not negate violation of international law, launder aggression, or absolve China of continuing encroachment. Basic humanity is not a bargaining chip,” she added.
A People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) Luyang III-class guided-missile destroyer bearing bow number “174” reportedly provided food and water to the Filipino fisherman, the Chinese Embassy in Manila.
In response, PCG spokesperson for WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela on Friday said while the PCG “acknowledges” and “appreciates” the humanitarian gesture, he questioned why a Chinese warship was operating in the area.
Tarriela also warned against using the incident for propaganda. He said the event should affirm the rights of Filipino fishermen to operate around Bajo de Masinloc.
“We hope this incident is not exploited as propaganda by China. Instead, it should serve as recognition that Filipino fishermen have full rights to fish in the waters around Bajo de Masinloc,” he said.
