Santa Claus is coming to the South China Sea, on a mission to spread Christmas cheer to Filipino fisherfolk, troops and coastguard officials while hopefully avoiding an international dispute with China.
At 1am on Sunday, the convoy of 40 fishing boats loaded with Christmas donations, Father Christmas figurines and nativity displays set sail from El Nido, Palawan, in the Philippines, on its way to disputed areas that Beijing claims, without legal grounds, as its own.
The trip, organised by the coalition Atin Ito (meaning “It’s ours”), involves dozens of volunteers, including youth leaders, faith leaders and fishers, and will deliver supplies donated by the public.
“We want to send a strong message that a small country like us, the Philippines, will not be silenced or bullied by China,” said Rafaela David, the president of the Akbayan party, which is a co-convenor of Atin Ito.
The mission has had a rocky start. On Saturday, as the Christmas convoy prepared to set off, Philippine officials accused the Chinese coastguard of repeatedly firing water cannon to obstruct civilian government vessels that belonged to the fisheries bureau. This resulted in “significant damage” to the communication and navigation equipment of one of the boats, the Philippines’ National Task Force West Philippine Sea said. It also said Chinese maritime militia vessels were reported to have used what it understood to be a long-range acoustic device that caused “severe temporary discomfort and incapacitation to some Filipino crew”.
In a statement, the taskforce vehemently condemned “the illegal and aggressive actions” by China, which took place near the disputed Scarborough Shoal.
Beijing said it had taken legitimate “control measures”.
On Sunday, the Philippines accused China of firing water cannon and ramming its resupply vessels in a separate incident, causing “serious engine damage” to one vessel. The incident happened in the vicinity of Second Thomas Shoal, where a small contingent of troops lives onboard a rusting warship that was deliberately run aground in 1999 to protect Manila’s claims.
China’s coastguard said the Philippine vessel intentionally rammed its ship and said Philippine vessels had “illegally entered” the waters adjacent to Second Thomas Shoal, “without the approval of the Chinese government”. The shoal lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
The South China Sea, one of the world’s most strategically and economically important bodies of water, is fiercely contested. It is claimed almost entirely by China, while the Philippines and neighbouring countries also have competing claims. In 2016, an international tribunal in The Hague found there was no legal basis to China’s vast claims. Beijing, however, has ignored the ruling.
Over the past year, tensions between China and the Philippines have intensified, with the Philippines, a US treaty ally, frequently accusing Beijing of dangerous and aggressive behaviour.
China has said previously that its coastguard acts in accordance with the law, and has accused the Philippines of provoking political drama, and Manila’s treaty ally, the US, of interfering.
The Christmas convoy had initially planned to first visit the vicinity of Second Thomas Shoal, but David said it had changed its route in response to Sunday’s incident, and would instead proceed directly to the islands of Lawak and Patag to drop off donations.
After reaching Lawak Island the convoy would “conduct a thorough assessment of the situation” with the intention of still passing through the general vicinity of Second Thomas Shoal on the way back to El Nido, David said.
David said on Saturday that the Christmas convoy hoped to get as close as safe and practical to BRP Sierra Madre, the dilapidated second world war-era ship that has been grounded in the shallow waters of Second Thomas Shoal for more than two decades. The convoy would listen to the advice of the coastguard, she said.
“We’re hoping that at least we can have a good view of this symbolic ship that is a sign of our resistance to what China is doing,” David said. The convoy would hand over Christmas gifts to the coastguard to deliver to troops on the ship, she said.
Donations to be given to troops and fishing communities include noche buena – Christmas packages including pasta, ham and cheese – as well as decorations depicting nativity scenes, traditional lanterns, toys for children and basic necessities such as solar-powered lights.
Santa Claus is coming to… the West Philippine Sea!
Figures of Santa Claus are aboard the vessel en route the West Philippine Sea. This way, Filipinos in some islands of Kalayaan, Palawan will feel the Christmas spirit. @ABSCBNNews pic.twitter.com/ezA3kaXTlv
— Jervis Manahan (@JervisManahan) December 9, 2023
The amount of donations given by the public reflected “a sense of solidarity that Filipinos feel especially when they see our fishermen or our coastguard being harassed by China”, said David. “We cannot help but feel a sense of indignation for what China is doing to our fellow Filipinos.”
More donations were still being collected, she said, and the team hoped to carry out further missions in the future. “We want to normalise and even regularise civilians going to the West Philippine Sea,” she said, using the term Manila gives to waters in the South China Sea that fall within the country’s 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.
Fishing communities have for years complained that their catches are shrinking, blaming overfishing and other environmentally destructive activities by China, as well as harassment by Chinese vessels. David said: “We really want to show them that Filipinos are behind them and they’re not alone in facing China.”
Sarah Wilson is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
