‘Foreign malign influence’ going ‘street level’ – AFP
MANILA, Philippines — “Foreign malign influence (FMI)” operations targeting the Philippines are adopting a more “street-level” approach, using the Filipino language to integrate themselves into divisive domestic issues and thus becoming harder to detect, a military official said on Tuesday.
Reservist Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson on the West Philippine Sea (WPS), said the shift became apparent in the “first quarter” of the year, as the WPS maritime issue became linked to other local controversies.
The intended discourse “used to be clearly identifiable as pro-Davao [when it comes to] West Philippine Sea issues,” Trinidad said in a press briefing. But “today, the formalized influence approach is they meddle with local issues.”
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He cited the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, the flood control scandal, and criticism against President Marcos and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. among the issues the AFP is monitoring for possible FMIs.
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Raid on Chinese-run firm
One local issue which, he said, has been exploited by foreign propaganda is the May 15 raid on Chinese-run Philippine Sanjia Steel Corp.
The raid at an ecozone in Misamis Oriental led to the arrest of 69 Chinese nationals and the discovery of radioactive materials in the Sanjia plant. The Chinese Embassy at the time filed a diplomatic protest over the arrests.
Trinidad said, “It is now more difficult to detect [foreign influence] because it is already mixing with local issues.”
He also said the language “now is [more] prevalent in Tagalog,” whereas “before, it was mostly in English.”
“Attacks on the SND (secretary of national defense), attacks on [Rear Adm.] Jay Tarriela are now in Tagalog,” Trinidad noted. Tarriela serves as Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson on WPS issues.
He also noted a shift in language among officials of the Chinese Embassy.
“When it’s the deputy spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy, they use Tagalog and street-level [phrasing]. When it’s the spokesman of the Chinese Embassy, his tone is diplomatic,” Trinidad said.
This shift to a more informal messaging may be part of efforts to make social-media content harder to identify as foreign and more acceptable to Filipinos, Trinidad said.
“Definitely, this is part of their approach. They are adjusting to make it more acceptable to our fellow countrymen, so they can conceal it better,” he said.
In an advice to netizens encountering such content, he said: “Before ‘liking,’ before forwarding, before clicking, make sure carefully if what you are reading is true.” /cb /atm
