The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Monday backed calls for swift action against foreign state-sponsored malign influence campaigns, warning that the West Philippine Sea (WPS) dispute is also being fought in the digital and information spaces.
AFP spokesperson for the WPS Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad said foreign influence operations seek to manipulate public perception and weaken trust in Philippine institutions, making them a national security concern.
“Defending the WPS is not only fought on our waters and airspace; it is also contested in the digital and information domains,” Trinidad said in a statement sent to the Philippine News Agency.
Trinidad said foreign malign influence operations use coordinated online accounts, deceptive media outlets and psychological manipulation to create divisions and influence how Filipinos view national security issues.
“Foreign Malign Influence (FMI) operations — executed through coordinated online proxy accounts, deceptive media outlets, and psychological manipulation — are done to divide our nation, erode public trust in national security institutions, shape public perception and justify unlawful acts in our exclusive economic zone (EEZ),” he said.
The AFP statement came after former Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Barbers called for swift and decisive action against foreign state-sponsored misinformation and influence campaigns.
Barbers had urged the National Telecommunications Commission to consider blocking social media pages that spread what he described as Chinese misinformation about the WPS.
“NTC should block these China misinformation pages the same way that government cracks down on porn sites. To follow or subscribe to these pages should be deemed unpatriotic,” Barbers said.
Trinidad said the AFP supports stronger measures because foreign malign influence can undermine the country’s ability to defend its sovereignty and sovereign rights.
“The AFP remains firm in its mandate to defend Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights and uphold the truth,” he said.
He added that the military will continue coordinating with lawmakers, regulators and civil society groups to address foreign influence operations targeting Filipinos.
“We will continue working with Congress, partner regulatory bodies, and civil society to protect the Filipino people from coercive and aggressive actions in the WPS and malign influence activities in the information and digital domains,” Trinidad said.
