By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, Reporter
THE Philippines’ intelligence agency had observed an uptick in disinformation campaigns and a coordinated cyberattack targeting government and defense officials as Manila prepares to host the regional bloc’s summit next year, its director for cyberthreat operations said on Tuesday.
Lester B. Gastala, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) cyberthreat director, warned that the threat of disinformation in the Philippines “is not theoretical,” saying foreign interference could be weaponized to undermine institutions and sway public opinion.
“We have also seen a number of disinformation pertaining to the upcoming ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit,” he told lawmakers at a House of Representatives hearing.
He added that there is a “growing number of regional spear phishing ASEAN-themed campaigns targeting government and defense entities, diplomatic missions and the associated infrastructure in the Philippines and across Southeast Asia.”
The Philippines is set to assume the chairmanship of the regional bloc in 2026, with Manila aiming to push for a long-delayed code of conduct in the South China Sea.
ASEAN and China pledged in 2002 to come up with the sea code, a framework that seeks to prevent conflict through diplomatic means, but it has remained elusive due to slow progress.
The disputed waterway has emerged as a flashpoint in the Southeast Asia region as China continues to claim and assert sovereignty over almost the entire sea despite a United Nations-backed tribunal voiding its expansive claim in 2016.
Also on Tuesday, a Philippine Navy officer said that the Philippine military is guarding anti-graft protests from foreign interference.
Philippine Rear Admiral Roy Vincent T. Trinidad said the armed forces were pursuing leads after observing “unusual” levels of support at some anti-corruption protests against anomalous flood control deals, stressing that “domestic concerns” must be free of foreign help.
“We are looking at all possible avenues and areas to ensure that domestic concerns will remain domestic, and will not be influenced by foreign funding,” he told a media briefing in Filipino. “Let us not forget we have a neighbor that wants Filipinos to fight among themselves and for the Philippines to be divided.”
Asked which country he was referring to, Mr. Trinidad indirectly named China, describing it as “the big country run by the Chinese Communist Party” that would “do everything it can to sow discord within the Philippines.”
The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to a Viber message seeking comment. Beijing has said it does not meddle in the internal affairs of other countries.
Manila and Beijing have clashed over contested areas in the South China Sea, with tensions escalating into confrontations at sea as both sides seek to uphold their sovereignty in the disputed waters. Philippine officials have warned are attempts to spread disinformation aimed at swaying Filipinos over the territorial dispute with China, among others.
“We have seen different issues, disinformation, misinformation and malinformation being raised against the government,” Mr. Trinidad said. “We have seen a lot of infiltration in our society. We don’t have to look far.”
“Part of their rule book is to make us fight among ourselves.”
In April, former Senator Francis N. Tolentino said that a local marketing firm was allegedly involved in spreading pro-Beijing narratives ahead of the May midterm elections, presenting documents that China hired it to provide “keyboard warriors” to influence public opinion.
