Recently, there has been a surge in online rumors regarding the internal conflict in the Philippines, with analysts pointing out that this may be related to the Chinese Communist Party’s attempt to manipulate public opinion in the South China Sea conflict. The CCP is seeking to influence public sentiment through social media and traditional channels by using false information to disrupt the political situation and social stability in the Philippines.
According to a report by the “Asian Weekly” on Monday (June 17th), Sherwin Ona, a visiting researcher at the Taiwan think tank “Institute for National Defense and Security Studies,” stated, “What we are seeing is just the tip of the iceberg, and we must be prepared for more such incidents.”
Last week, “The Philippine Star” reported that anonymous Chinese social media accounts coordinated to share a statement made by Pantaleon Alvarez, a provincial legislator in the Philippines, last November, calling for the southern islands of Mindanao to separate from the Philippines.
Alvarez is an ally of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and previously served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives during Duterte’s presidency.
According to “The Philippine Star,” over sixty social media accounts posted about the “independence movement” in Mindanao, fueling speculation about secession and attributing the cracks to current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s “pro-American” policies.
Internet users connected to Duterte’s camp amplified the divisive voices, claiming that the Marcos government is escalating the issue.
Ona mentioned that this suspected false information aligns with the CCP’s strategy in the “gray zone,” which involves using tactics like cognitive warfare to achieve strategic goals without direct military action.
“We also see false information being spread through traditional channels such as official media and leveraging pro-Beijing social media sites to amplify false information using internet trolls,” Ona stated.
He noted that the CCP has employed similar cognitive warfare strategies in Taiwan and Hong Kong, citing instances of spreading false information before Taiwan’s January elections, baselessly accusing Lai Ching-te of corruption and dictatorship.
In a report last year, the U.S. State Department accused the CCP of spending billions of dollars to expand global disinformation activities, emphasizing that such practices limit freedom of speech and undermine the reliability of information.
Ona added, “China’s (CCP) strategy usually involves promoting online disinformation activities combined with aggressive cyber actions, such as hacking public data and conducting cyber espionage.” He pointed out that the CCP often employs these strategies in conjunction with other malicious tactics like sowing discord, wooing local leaders, and controlling a country’s critical infrastructure.
He stated that these efforts by the CCP aim to advance its strategic vision of achieving the “great rejuvenation” by 2049 and dominating the Indo-Pacific region, which is part of its “Chinese Dream.” “China’s (CCP) excessive claims in the South China Sea, the Belt and Road Initiative, among others, are all part of this goal.”
Following a series of suspected cyber attacks possibly originating from the CCP in April, Marcos Jr. unveiled a six-year plan to enhance the cybersecurity of the Philippines.
A month ago, an anonymous hacker breached the Facebook page of the Philippine Coast Guard, spreading malicious content. The government regained control of the page a week later.
In January, the websites of the Marcos government, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) in the Philippines, and the National Coast Watch Centre were hacked. Investigators traced these hackers, who were suspected of using China Unicom’s services.
Reports revealed that the Philippine military disclosed the recruitment of Filipino military personnel by the Chinese government to act as consultants and embed spies in “sleeper cells” across the Philippines.
Don McLain Gill, a geopolitical analyst and lecturer at De La Salle University’s International Studies Department in Manila, noted that intelligence activities against the Marcos Jr. government were increasing as Manila strives to strengthen cooperation with the U.S. in security and economic areas.
Gill stated that the CCP aims to undermine the U.S.-Philippines alliance by inciting social conflicts and reshaping the political landscape before the upcoming presidential elections in the Philippines.
With two years left in Marcos Jr.’s term before the next presidential election and midterm elections for the Senate and local governments scheduled for 2025, Gill highlighted that CCP’s rumor-mongering activities on social media platforms like YouTube are intended to incite domestic unrest by spreading fabricated videos and posts to make Filipinos believe that Manila is instigating conflicts in the South China Sea.
“More importantly, Beijing’s mouthpieces, such as the Global Times and China Daily, readily echo these claims. One can confidently assume that this is closely tied to Beijing’s overarching interests,” Gill asserted.