ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Bukal sa loob? Chinese Navy warship aids distressed Filipino fisherman in WPS but PCG is skeptical

Bukal sa loob? Chinese Navy warship aids distressed Filipino fisherman in WPS but PCG is skeptical

Published Dec 26, 2025 02:10 pm
A Chinese official hands a bottled water to a distressed Filipino fisherman in the South China Sea on Dec. 25, 2025. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) appreciates the gesture but questions why the Chinese forces are operating in the area within Manila's exclusive economic zone. (Photo: Chinese Embassy in Manila)
A Chinese official hands a bottled water to a distressed Filipino fisherman in the South China Sea on Dec. 25, 2025. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) appreciates the gesture but questions why the Chinese forces are operating in the area within Manila's exclusive economic zone. (Photo: Chinese Embassy in Manila)
China said one of its military vessels assisted a distressed Filipino fisherman in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, but the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) remained skeptical of the account and questioned the presence of the Chinese warship in the area.
A People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) Luyang III-class guided-missile destroyer with bow number “174” delivered food and water to a Philippine fishing vessel whose engine had failed in the South China Sea.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila said the fisherman had been stranded for three days so the Chinese warship launched a rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) to extend a helping hand while coordinating follow-up support with the PCG.
A photo showing the fisherman being given a bottled water by a Chinese official was posted by the embassy on its social media pages. Another photo showing the fisherman holding a placard with the words "HELP ME" was also uploaded by the embassy.
Photo: Chinese Embassy in Manila
Photo: Chinese Embassy in Manila
In response, PCG spokesperson for WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela said the PCG “acknowledges” and “appreciates” the humanitarian gesture made by the PLA-N warship towards the fisherman, who was identified as Larry Tumalis.
He said the incident occurred about 71 nautical miles west of Silanguin Island in Zambales, and pointed out that what happened was a “notable contrast to the barbaric, illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions often employed by the China Coast Guard against Filipino fishermen.”
Tarriela, however, disclosed that the PCG was not informed by the Chinese PLA-Navy about the incident, contrary to the embassy’s claims. He said there was also no prior notice on the fisherman’s location or condition.
Further, he said the fisherman was safely moored to a Floating Aggregate Device (FAD) or “payao” and awaiting pickup by their mother boat.
He said the service boat departed on a fishing trip around 3 p.m. on Dec. 24 and the distressed fisherman was located by the PCG and the mother boat the following afternoon, less than 24 hours later.
“Claim that he had been adrift for three days is inaccurate,” the PCG official added.
Further, the PCG also questioned why a Chinese warship was operating in the area. Tarriela said the reported location of the encounter was within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
"According to the fisherman, he became frightened when the PLA Navy warship 174 launched a RHIB. In response, he used carbon deposits scraped from the tip of his engine's exhaust pipe to write 'HELP ME,'" Tarriela said.
Propaganda
While acknowledging the act of assistance, Tarriela warned against using the incident for propaganda. He said the episode 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.
“We hope that the PLAN, unlike the China Coast Guard, ceases endorsing the Chinese Communist Party's unfounded claims to the entire South China Sea based on its invalid "ten-dash-line,” he added.
Manila and Beijing are locked in a territorial dispute as China claims majority of the South China Sea, including features located within the Philippines' EEZ. This, despite a 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated China's dash-line claims in the SCS.

Related Tags

PCG West Philippine Sea Chinese warship China territorial dispute Jay Tarriela Chinese Embassy in Manila
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.