During the hearing of the committee on Philippine maritime and admiralty zones, Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino said that a Chinese embassy allegedly paid a company to work as a troll farm to spread disinformation.
Tolentino added that there was a ‘service agreement’ between the Chinese Embassy and InfinitUs Marketing Solutions Inc. in August 2023 to potentially disseminate pro-China narratives and propaganda regarding lawmakers who support the claim on the West Philippine Sea.
“The money that the Chinese Embassy paid was for something hidden and sinister. It was to finance a troll farm. Troll farm po yun. A covert disinformation and influence operation against the Philippine government and the Filipino people,” Tolentino said.
National Security Council (NSC) official Jonathan Malaya also suspects that Beijing is engaged in spreading information in the country that may interfere in the 2025 midterm elections.
Growing concerns have emerged over the alleged infiltration of social media platforms by Chinese-funded troll farms or ‘keyboard warriors.’ These operations are allegedly designed to manipulate public opinion, spread disinformation, and influence political discourse.
This potential contract sparked debates about digital sovereignty, information warfare, and foreign interference of China in the Philippines, particularly in the upcoming elections.
Possible case of PH candidates funded by China
According to Malaya, there are alarming reports about the presence of ‘third party individuals and proxies,’ suggesting that some Philippine candidates might be funded by China.
The Senate panel discovered that a troll army of Filipino influencers and bloggers was deployed by Beijing to influence the public’s opinion, especially now that the elections are nearing.
Tolentino added that accounts allegedly created by InfinitUs for the Chinese embassy consisted of 330 Facebook and 30 X accounts. The accounts earned 53,322 friends and followers who are real people, where most of them are Filipinos.
“So, this means that the accounts appearing on Facebook are not real people. These are trolls. Unfortunately, our fellow Filipinos are being misled,” he added.
Hidden objectives of China for funding a troll farm
The extreme efforts of China, including the extent of espionage, are related to their agenda to make the Philippines a Chinese province, Tolentino said.
“their main purpose is not only to influence the discussion, but to directly attack the government and pursue their vision of making the Philippines a province of China.”
The Senate panel also believes that all Chinese-related activities are interconnected to intervene with the Philippines, such as hacking the websites of the Department of Information and Communication Technology and other government agencies.
However, the Chinese embassy has yet to respond and InfinitUs refused to comment on the issue.
