cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/51341510
The Philippines is facing a “coordinated and sustained” cyber offensive from China, signaling a shift in geopolitical tensions from the West Philippine Sea into the digital domain through influence operations aimed at shaping public perception, manipulating discourse, and weakening institutional trust, a think tank said over the weekend.
Speaking during the two-day “Navigating Digital Crossroads” cybersecurity forum held in partnership with the Embassy of Canada to the Philippines, Stratbase ADR Institute president Victor Andres Manhit said the country was engaged in what he described as an “unseen war” waged through information dominance, psychological operations, and digital manipulation rather than conventional military force.
Manhit said modern conflict was no longer determined solely by weapons systems or troop deployments but by the ability to control narratives, influence decision-making environments, and shape public perception — developments he said were increasingly evident as regional tensions spilled over into cyberspace across the broader Indo-Pacific.
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“What reverberates within our domestic context affects the broader region. And developments in the region inevitably shape outcomes in the Philippines,” he said, describing the phenomenon as coordinated political warfare in which physical operations and informational campaigns move in lockstep to secure strategic narrative superiority.
He cited Beijing’s so-called “three warfares” doctrine — composed of psychological, legal, and public opinion warfare — as a framework already reflected in operations that seek to undermine Philippine sovereignty by embedding strategic messaging into public discourse and amplifying pro-China narratives across online platforms.
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He pointed to what he described as China’s use of coordinated networks linked to its United Front Work to embed strategic narratives into Philippine public discourse through associations spanning business and chamber groups, academic exchanges, think tanks, study centers, and even sister-city partnerships.
“We have observed a network of associations functioning as amplifiers of pro-Beijing narratives and actions,” he said, noting that influence campaigns may operate through both formal partnerships and informal online communities.