Pro-Duterte disinformation a national security issue, says analyst

Dindo Manhit, Stratbase Institute president —Photo from the Stratbase Facebook page

MANILA, Philippines – International think tank Stratbase Institute president Dindo Manhit on Wednesday described the deliberate and organized social media disinformation campaign defending former President Rodrigo Duterte and undermining the Philippines’ stance on the West Philippine Sea as a “national security issue”.

In a radio interview, Manhit warned of a coordinated effort to manipulate public perception through fake accounts and narratives online, especially after Duterte’s March 11 arrest and in the lead-up to the 2025 midterm elections.

“Iniimpluwensyahan ang pananaw natin using disinformation… Sinasadya. (They are influencing our perspectives using disinformation… This is intentional),” Manhit said on Radyo Pilipinas’ Bangon, Bayang Mahal. “Tumatawid na tayo sa national security issue. (This has crossed into a national security issue).”

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Manhit was referring to a Reuters exclusive report published on April 11, which revealed that nearly one-third of accounts on X discussing Duterte’s recent arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC) were fake.

According to Reuters, the research by disinformation security firm Cyabra found that the fake accounts acted in a “deliberate, organized’ manner—sharing identical messages, posting in coordinated bursts, and promoting hashtags that supported Duterte while attacking the ICC and Marcos.

“Parang warfare na ito. Nagbibigay ng disinformation, nagbebenta ng storya, narrative, na walang basehan (This is like warfare. They spread disinformation and push baseless stories and narratives),” Manhit said.

He emphasized that many of these narratives falsely framed Duterte’s arrest as “kidnapping” despite being a public event streamed live on social media.

“Paano naging kidnapping ‘yun? Eh live broadcast ng Facebook. (How was that kidnapping? It was livestreamed on Facebook),” Manhit said. “Kitang-kita nila, lahat tayo sumunod sa pangyayaring ‘yon. (Everyone saw it, we all followed the event).”

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Manhit said the disinformation campaign goes beyond politics, noting that the same network attacking the International Criminal Court (ICC) is also undermining the Philippines’ territorial claims in the West Philippine Sea.

Manhit noted that his firm conducted a study linking this to geopolitics.

“Bakit pareho ang nagpapakalat? (Why is the same group spreading both narratives?)” Manhit said. “May connivance ba? Ginugulo ba nila ang ating bayan for the interest of certain political groups sa Pilipinas, pero magtatamasa ay bansang Tsina? (Is there connivance? Are they destabilizing our country for the benefit of political groups here, but to China’s gain?)”

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He questioned whether the campaign had foreign backing, pointing to China as a possible beneficiary.

“Meron bang tulong galing sa Tsina? Technology ba ito na nanggagaling? (Is there assistance from China? Is this technology coming from them?),” he said.

Manhit said the online disinformation distorts public perception, creating the illusion of national chaos.

“Bakit sa social media para tayong nagkakagulo? (Why do we look like we’re in turmoil on social media?)” he said, noting that the streets remain peaceful despite the heated online rhetoric.

He also criticized vloggers and influencers denying the campaign’s links to China.

“Sasabihin nila hindi naman kami pro-China, sinasabi lang namin mabait silang kaibigan (They’ll say, ‘We’re not pro-China, we’re just saying they’re good friends’),” Manhit said, as he challenged them to instead condemn China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea.

During a House Tri-Committee hearing last week, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela named vloggers Anna Malindog-Uy and Ado Paglinawan as amplifiers of disinformation narratives by Chinese state media.

According to Tarriela, Malindog-Uy falsely blamed the Coast Guard for a maritime collision with Chinese vessels, while Paglinawan dismissed the country’s territorial defense as “lunacy”.

He warned that unchecked disinformation could destabilize the 2025 elections, urging political groups to stand firm and reject malicious narratives.

“Demokrasya tayo. Kaya sa akin, importante na ‘wag itong makaimpluwensiya ng 2025 eleksyon (We are a democracy. For me, it’s important that this doesn’t influence the 2025 elections),” he said.

Manhit stressed the need for legislative action.

“Dapat pagtuunan ng ating legislators… at tingnan talaga saan nanggaling itong malign influence (Our legislators must look into where this malign influence is coming from),” he said.

He said foreign-backed influence operations could no longer be dismissed as mere online opinions.

“Yung social media, kasama ‘yan sa kabuhayan natin, maganda naman ‘yan. Pero if this is being abused and if this constitutes a threat to our own national security, dapat magpataw ng batas at bigyan ng regulasyon or bigyan pa ng katawang parusa under our criminal and security laws (Social media is part of our livelihood, and that’s a good thing. But if it’s being abused and if it constitutes a threat to our national security, then laws must be enforced, regulations put in place, or even penalties imposed under our criminal and security laws),” he said.

The Stratbase chief said they have worked with independent fact-checkers like PressOne.ph and Check.ph since 2017 to help fight disinformation using evidence-based discourse.

“The best way to fight disinformation is use facts. Use data,” he said. “Nakakatakot itong pagkakataon na ito, pero hindi dapat ito atrasan (This is a frightening moment, but we must not back down).” (PNA)