The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) warned Tuesday, 13 October, that China's alleged foreign interference and influence operations could intensify ahead of the 2028 national elections, alongside increasing aggression in the West Philippine Sea.
AFP spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad said Chinese activities have expanded beyond maritime confrontations to include alleged attempts to manipulate public opinion and undermine trust in Philippine institutions.
“Warfare today is waged not only on the battlefield, but also on the minds of all parties involved,” Trinidad said during a briefing at Camp Aguinaldo.
He cited recent incidents involving Chinese survey vessels near Bajo de Masinloc and critical submarine cable corridors, as well as an alleged dangerous encounter between a Chinese J-16 fighter jet and a Philippine Air Force C-208 aircraft on 3 October.
Trinidad also reported a Chinese intrusion into waters near the Kota detachment on 9 October and an unauthorized survey near Hubo Reef on 11 October.
“These activities mark an escalation by the Chinese Communist Party's agents in the maritime domain,” he said.
“And I mentioned previously that we have to expect not only this action on the maritime domain, but even foreign and domestic malign activities on land will escalate until 2028,” he added.
Election interference concerns
Trinidad alleged that China's influence operations were intended to sow confusion among Filipinos and weaken public confidence in government institutions.
He said such activities could become particularly significant ahead of the 2028 elections.
According to Trinidad, the AFP is countering alleged disinformation campaigns through its MULAT communications initiative and transparency efforts coordinated with the National Security Council and National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea.
He also warned against what he described as Chinese efforts to cultivate influential business figures and political leaders.
“If they (Chinese) could coopt a political leader, have him/her elected by building him up politically through foreign malign influence, they would have achieved their objective without firing a single shot,” Trinidad said.
The military official urged voters to critically evaluate information circulating online, particularly claims involving national security.
He cited the case of former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo as an example of concerns surrounding foreign influence in local politics.
Foreign funding allegations
Asked whether his remarks referred to Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, following allegations during the Senate impeachment trial that companies linked to them received funds from China and Hong Kong, Trinidad cautioned against automatically treating foreign transactions as illegal.
“We have to understand that receiving funds from foreign donors, this could come in the form of loans, investments, donations, grants. These are not illegal,” he said.
Trinidad explained that foreign financial transactions are subject to existing regulations and must be assessed by the appropriate government agencies.
However, he warned that such transactions could raise national security concerns if investigations establish that the funds were used to advance the interests of a foreign adversary.
“More so, if proven that these funds were used to advance the position of our adversary, this will have very serious national security implications,” Trinidad said.
No finding establishing that the alleged funds were used for foreign interference was presented in the briefing.
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