SUCCESSFUL RESCUE A team from the Philippine Coast Guard rescues fisherman Larry Tumalis, the missing crew member of fishing boat “FBCA Gavin,” in the waters off Silanguin Island in San Antonio, Zambales, on Dec. 25. —PHOTO FROM PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD

SAN ANTONIO, ZAMBALES—Fishermen in this province who continue to operate near Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal) in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) remain wary of China Coast Guard (CCG) claims of providing assistance at sea, citing years of harassment.

Leonido Moralde, vice chair of the Subic Hook and Line Fishermen’s Association, said fishermen do not trust gestures of help from Chinese authorities, whom they accused of persistently chasing and intimidating both large and small fishing boats in the area.

“They always harass us and now they suddenly help us. They chase big boats and even small boats at sea, so we don’t feel safe,” Moralde told the Inquirer.

He added: “When the help comes from them, no one believes it. They should leave our territory, that’s the help we want from them because it’s ours.”

Moralde stressed that what fishermen want instead is for Chinese vessels to leave waters they consider part of Philippine territory.

Food aid

China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, including areas within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), despite a 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated Beijing’s so-called nine-dash line and affirmed the Philippines’ sovereign rights in the WPS.

The issue resurfaced after the Chinese Embassy in Manila said in a statement on Dec. 26 that the People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN) destroyer provided humanitarian assistance to a distressed Filipino fisherman on Christmas Day, delivering food and water and allegedly coordinating with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

PCG spokesperson for the WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela acknowledged the assistance but said it sharply contrasted with what he described as the CCG’s “illegal, coercive and aggressive” actions against Filipino fishermen.

Tarriela also disputed claims of coordination, saying the PCG received no prior information from the Chinese vessel.

He added that the fisherman was not adrift for three days, as claimed, but was safely moored to a floating fish aggregating device and awaiting pickup by his mother boat.

PCG records showed the fisherman was located less than 24 hours after he was reported missing.

The fisherman, identified as Larry Tumalis, 41, of Barangay Calapandayan in Subic town of Zambales, was found in good condition by PCG rescuers in the vicinity of Silanguin Island, San Antonio, Zambales, on Dec. 25, and was safely returned to his mother boat. His family was later informed of his rescue.

Tarriela reiterated that the PLAN warship had no legitimate reason to operate within the Philippines’ EEZ, noting that the reported location of the incident—about 131 kilometers (71 nautical miles) west of Silanguin Island here—falls within Philippine waters.

He urged that the incident not be used as propaganda and reaffirmed Filipino fishermen’s rights to fish around Panatag Shoal. INQ