By AFP and Focus | 2025-04-29

MANILA – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos has ordered an investigation into allegations that China is meddling in the country's upcoming May elections following explosive claims about the machinations of Beijing-backed disinformation campaigns.

The accusations, brought to light during an April Senate hearing, allege the Chinese embassy in Manila is paying Filipinos to work in "troll farms" to undermine the Marcos administration.

The National Security Council (NSC) has detected "indications ... that information operations are being conducted that are Chinese state-sponsored in the Philippines that are actually interfering in the forthcoming elections," NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said at the hearing.

The May 12 nationwide poll will decide hundreds of seats in the House of Representatives and Senate as well as thousands of hotly contested local positions.

Troll farms

At the hearing in April, Sen. Francis Tolentino, a Marcos ally, presented what he described as evidence of Chinese involvement, including a contract and a check for 930,000 PHP ($16,000) from August 2023. He alleged the Chinese embassy hired a local firm, Infinitus Marketing Solutions Inc., to manage "troll farms" that spread misinformation.

"This contract and payment is the destruction of the dignity of the Filipino, the stomping on the dignity of the Philippines," Tolentino stated, displaying the documents.

He detailed how these operations involved creating hundreds of fake social media accounts, with a reported 330 fake accounts and a combined following of more than 53,000, to disseminate pro-China messages and attack critics of Beijing's actions. The operations specifically targeted lawmakers defending the Philippines' territorial claims in the South China Sea, he said.

"It's clear that the Chinese government, through the Chinese embassy, is paying Filipinos to work in troll farms to criticize and destroy our administration, our Congress and our government," Tolentino added.

Malaya corroborated Tolentino's claims, stating the NSC had identified "local proxies" amplifying Beijing's messaging. He said these operations were a clear attempt to influence the electoral process in favor of pro-China candidates.

Escalating tensions with Beijing

The Chinese embassy swiftly denied the allegations. A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, in a statement, said Beijing adheres to the "principle of non-interference" and called the accusations "despicable and doomed to failure."

Several senators on April 25 condemned China's alleged interference, calling for a further investigation into the threats to national sovereignty and security, according to GMA News.

The Philippines has been embroiled in months of escalating tensions with Beijing over the disputed South China Sea, a crucial waterway. The Marcos administration meanwhile has deepened defense cooperation with the United States.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia, when asked to comment on the election-meddling allegation, called it "dangerous and worrisome," adding that Comelec had been briefed about attacks that rely on "bots and troll farms" to undermine faith in the electoral process.

The accusations of Chinese interference come amid a backdrop of political turbulence in the Philippines. Marcos' popularity has seen a significant decline in recent polls. This slide coincides with the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte by the International Criminal Court and the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, his daughter.

There has been a major spike in misinformation tied to the case since the elder Duterte's arrest, some of which AFP fact-checkers has debunked.

Concerns over Chinese disinformation in the Philippines are not new. A researcher at the Digital Forensic Research Lab, speaking to AFP last year, observed pro-China content circulating in Philippine-based online groups, often aligning with Beijing's stance on the South China Sea dispute.

As the investigation unfolds, the issue of foreign interference is expected to dominate political discourse in the lead-up to the May elections. Marcos has vowed to conduct a "thorough investigation" to uncover the truth.