Expect an increase in pro-China trolls and influencers on social media undermining the Philippines’ assertiveness with transparency initiatives in the West Philippine Sea, a Philippine Coast Guard official said on Monday.
PCG spokesperson for the WPS, Commodore Jay Tarriela, said China is exerting efforts to counter the Philippines’ strategy of transparency by using trolls to spread disinformation on various social media platforms.
Through the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, the government lays bare all of China’s questionable actions in the disputed waters, including its use of lasers, water cannons, and dangerous maneuvers.
“The approach now of China to counter the transparency strategy of the Philippine government, particularly the NTF-WPS, is to carry out information operations to have more trolls and pro-China mouthpieces,” Tarriela said.
He noted that the influencers all have similar arguments against the government’s initiatives in asserting the country’s sovereign rights in the WPS.
“Also, with the narratives, it is noticeable how some of our own known influencers — I won’t be giving names — how they align with the trolls but with no identities. They have the same stories and arguments and they are amplifying these kinds of disinformation,” he said.
Tarriela noted how the country’s strategic initiatives to counter China’s increased disinformation about the WPS have been very effective in uniting Filipinos.
Citing a recent survey, Tarriela noted that more than 70 percent of Filipinos “support the approach of President Bongbong Marcos to expose Chinese aggression in the WPS.”
“The same thing with the international community. More countries now are becoming more vocal and supportive of the AFP modernization, and even of the PCG,” he said.
Tarriela said the government will continue to expose China’s aggression in the WPS with the transparency initiative entering its second year. The WPS topic is unifying Filipinos, he added.