Another case of Chinese harassment in Philippine waters has been reported - this time with Filipino fishermen on the receiving end.

In the morning of April 4, two China coast guard vessels tried to scare away Filipino fishermen who were helping personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) install payao or floating devices in the vicinity of Rosul Reef, which is within the country's exclusive economic zone, PCG Commodore Jay Tarriela said on X.

He said CCG vessels with bow numbers 21551 and 21556 'started harassing the Filipino fishing boats who were voluntarily supporting the PCG-BFAR operation.' The area is just 128 nautical miles from Palawan, he said.

CCG crewmembers '(pretended) to man their water cannons and threatening the Filipino fishermen,' said Tarriela.

The Chinese ships were the 'usual interdictors in the resupply operation in Ayungin Shoal,' he noted.

It was not clear if the Filipinos went on with their activity after the Chinese harassment.

Tarriela said China's persistent bullying was driven by 'greed and unfounded claim that these waters belong to them based on their imaginary dashed line,' referring to Beijing's 10-dash line claim in South China Sea.

He scored China for its 'unlawful behavior aimed at depriving the Filipinos of their rights to access the resources in our exclusive economic zone.'

In a post on X last April 3, Tarriela appealed anew to the public to 'stand united and assert that the West Philippine Sea is an integral part of our exclusive economic zone' amid China's dissemination of fake news and propaganda.

He said 'fellow Filipinos who may have been misinformed and have accepted China's false narratives' should be told of the truth 'with courtesy and professionalism.'

'We should strive to educate and provide accurate information to help them understand the truth that our fight in the West Philippine Sea is not dictated by any external actor but driven by our national interest,' he said.

'We should avoid using language that incites hatred and anger towards our countrymen, as it only serves to please China in seeing us divided,' Tarriela wrote.

He also called on the public to 'find inspiration in the Philippine revolution, which serves as a powerful testament to our unity and unwavering patriotism.'

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