AFP says foreign malign influence rising amid West PH Sea tensions

MANILA, August 28 ------ The Armed Forces of the Philippines has observed a rise in foreign malign influence activities, including false narratives about the West Philippine Sea, over the past four to six months, AFP spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea retired Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad said.

Trinidad said AFP’s social media analytics showed shifts in messaging, targets, and narratives being circulated online. "Ito ay mga maling naratibo na pinapakalat ng isang state-sponsored or non-state-sponsored entity mula sa labas," Trinidad said in an interview with "Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon". He said the narratives are meant to discredit the government and its position on the West Philippine Sea, the part of the South China Sea in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

Trinidad said the increase in such activities was also observed following the government’s raids, including on an operation in Sanjia Steel Corp., a steel manufacturing plant in Misamis Oriental, where 69 Chinese nationals and a Filipino were found allegedly handling potentially harmful or noxious materials. He said narratives seeking to discredit people involved in the raids were also part of what the AFP considered foreign malign influence.

When asked how the AFP distinguishes ordinary online opinion from a coordinated foreign influence operation, Trinidad said authorities look at connections among narratives and activities targeting government officials who have taken strong positions on Philippine sovereignty and sovereign rights. He said Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., whom China has imposed sanctions on, had also been targeted. “Ina-atake siya dun sa stand natin sa West Philippine Sea, ina-atake siya dito sa Sanjia [raid], konektado yan,” Trinidad said.

He also cited cases involving alleged spies, including individuals arrested over the installation of closed-circuit television cameras near the Subic Bay Freeport Zone and surveillance activities in Palawan. “It's not by chance, it is by design... there is somebody pulling the strings,” Trinidad said. He did not name China, saying only that an “adversary who would like to weaken our stand, to weaken our resolve, to stand up for our rights and our sovereign rights [in the] West Philippine Sea and even on land" is behind the incidents.

Trinidad said the government is addressing disinformation through its transparency initiative under which government spokespersons provide information about successful operations and their context.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com