The battle over the West Philippine Sea (WPS) has expanded beyond maritime confrontations and into the digital sphere, as Philippine security officials warned of an emerging “cognitive warfare” campaign powered by artificial intelligence and automated “botnets.”

Speaking at a media forum, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said the country is facing increasingly sophisticated online influence operations aimed at manipulating public opinion and distorting narratives surrounding the WPS dispute.

Padilla said foreign-backed disinformation campaigns are no longer limited to traditional “troll farms” run manually through multiple fake accounts and mobile devices.

“It’s botnets that we’re up against,” Padilla said. “Just certain keywords like West Philippine Sea, in a matter of seconds, there will be 600 ha-ha reactions — no friends, no whatever. It’s purely botnets.”

According to Padilla, automated networks now exploit social media algorithms by repeatedly feeding users similar content based on their online behavior, eventually creating echo chambers that limit balanced discourse.