A Philippine Navy official on Tuesday condemned unnamed parties for allegedly waging deceptive messaging against the Philippines.

“Information warfare is being waged against us. The battlefield is the cognitive domain or the minds of the Filipino people. Information warfare is designed to shape the perception of the Filipinos. This is also called malign influence,” Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS), Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, said in a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo.

Trinidad emphasized that Filipinos must be cautious of deceptive messages and narratives that distort the truth.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) earlier introduced its “Mulat” (Awaken) Communication Plan for the WPS, which aims “to bolster transparency, counter disinformation, and enhance public awareness regarding the Philippines’ rights and interests in the region.”

“While this is not covert or something we can see, not a kinetic action, we have been very clear in informing our countrymen — through Complan Mulat and other pronouncements — that we should be very deliberate in receiving deceptive messages. Because again, this is all part and parcel of information warfare,” he said.

Trinidad also called “delusional” those parties claiming that Palawan was part of China’s territory. Mainly Chinese entities and personalities were identified as being behind the claim.

“In an authoritarian state where social media and freedom of expression are regulated by the government, everything is possible. Such statements about Palawan are baseless,” he said, referring to China.

“They are bereft of legal references. They defy common sense. In short, totally absurd. It will never happen that a part of the Philippines will be included in the sovereign territory of any other country,” he added.

Trinidad criticized certain groups for spreading misinformation, propaganda, and manipulative content designed to influence public perception of territorial claims.

“We are being attacked in the information domain,” he said.