The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Monday warned about the increase of pro-China trolls and influencers on social media as Beijing’s illegal actions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have been continuously exposed by the Philippine government.
According to the PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela, China’s approach is to counter the transparency and strategy of the Philippine government and carry out information operations to have more trolls and pro-China mouthpieces to produce misinformation to the Filipinos, dividing the country and ruining the unity against China.
He pointed out some known influencers who are aligning their identities with the trolls, providing the same stories, and arguing about amplifying disinformation.
Tarriela believes that the initiative was effective in uniting the Filipinos and countering China’s increased disinformation on the WPS.
He said that the increase in pro-China trolls occurred when the Philippines started its transparency strategy in the WPS, which has become effective in educating Filipinos and sharing the right information with the international community.
In February last year, the Philippine government announced its transparency initiative following the China Coast Guard’s military-grade laser issue against a Philippine patrol vessel near Ayungin Shoal.
Now, the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea will continue to expose China’s aggression.
