By Liz Lagniton | 2026-01-01

The Philippines warned that a Christmas Day rescue of a Filipino fisherman by a Chinese naval vessel should not be spun as propaganda, saying it cannot erase years of Chinese harassment of Filipino fishermen and China's persistent presence in Philippine waters.

The incident occurred on December 25, when members of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) assisted a Filipino fisherman off the coast of Zambales, an area within the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) but also claimed by China.

Footage showed Chinese naval personnel aboard a rigid-hulled inflatable boat approaching a small Filipino fishing vessel bearing a handwritten "Help Me" sign made from a styrofoam lid.

Videos and photographs released by the Chinese Embassy in Manila showed Chinese sailors handing bottled water and biscuits to the fisherman.

In the video, the fisherman, identified as Larry Tumalis, could be heard repeatedly expressing gratitude as Christmas greetings were exchanged. Chinese officials framed the footage as a humanitarian act.

The embassy said on December 26 that a PLAN destroyer provided swift humanitarian assistance to a distressed fishing vessel on December 25, delivering food and water to a fisherman who had reportedly been stranded for three days by engine failure.

Disputed account

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) warned that selective presentation of the episode could obscure what it described as broader realities in the West Philippine Sea, where Filipino fishermen have reported harassment, restricted access to traditional fishing grounds and dangerous encounters with Chinese vessels.

The West Philippine Sea is Manila's name for the part of the South China Sea within its EEZ.

In a statement issued on December 26, the PCG said it acknowledged and appreciated the assistance provided to Tumalis on Christmas Day.

However, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Commodore Jay Tarriela, said the gesture contrasted with what he described as the China Coast Guard's "barbaric, illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive actions" against Filipino fishermen.

Tarriela said the PCG received no prior information from the PLAN regarding the location or condition of the fisherman who reportedly received the assistance.

He also rejected China's claim that Tumalis was adrift for three days, saying he had been safely moored to a floating fish aggregating device before being located by the PCG and his mother boat in less than 24 hours.

According to Tarriela, Tumalis told authorities he became frightened when the Chinese warship dispatched a rigid-hulled inflatable boat, prompting him to scrape carbon deposits from his engine's exhaust pipe and use them to write "Help Me."

Tarriela also said the PLAN warship had "no legitimate reason to operate within the Philippines' EEZ," and noted the reported location -- about 71 nautical miles west of Silanguin Island -- falls within the country's waters.

Tarriela said he hoped the incident would not be exploited as propaganda, and said it should instead reinforce that Filipino fishermen have full rights to fish in waters around Bajo de Masinloc, Manila's term for Scarborough Shoal.

'Image management'

The Christmas rescue came days after a water cannon incident involving Filipino fishing boats, drawing renewed attention to competing narratives at sea.

"Let's not be fooled by China's propaganda," Rafaela David, lead convenor of the group Atin Ito, said in a statement on December 27.

Atin Ito is a group that delivers donated goods to Philippine troops stationed in the disputed Spratly Islands.

"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," David said, adding that China's account that the fisherman had been missing for three days did not align with established facts.

David questioned why China was patrolling inside the Philippines' EEZ and said no publicized act of assistance could outweigh repeated incidents involving Filipino fishermen.

She cited a December 12 incident in which the China Coast Guard used high-pressure water cannons near Sabina Shoal, damaging two boats and injuring three fisherfolk, according to her statement.

The incident drew condemnation from the United States, Japan, Australia and members of the European Union, which criticized China's aggressive actions against Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea.

Foreign governments, including the United States, reiterated support for freedom of navigation and respect for international law, warning that the use of force against civilian vessels undermines regional stability and escalates tensions in the region.