Jamaine Punzalan

Chinese flags wave with Philippine flags along Roxas Boulevard in Manila on November 19, ahead of Chinese president Xi Jinping's state visit in the country. Xi will be visiting the country from November 20 to 21. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

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Flying the Chinese flag

Michael Delizo

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177156529596120181119-chinese-flag-xi-jinping-state-visit-MD-8721.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Chinese flags wave with Philippine flags along Roxas Boulevard in Manila on November 19, ahead of Chinese president Xi Jinping&#x27;s state visit in the country. Xi will be visiting the country from November 20 to 21. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>MANILA<strong> (UPDATE) </strong>— China’s foreign interference and malign influence (FIMI) operations in the country may expand closer to the 2028 elections, Philippine officials said Friday, as they underscored the need to sustain transparency efforts to prevent division and animosity among Filipinos.</p><p>Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Commodore Jay Tarriela said there would be no toning down of his messaging on maritime issues despite seemingly irking the Chinese Embassy in Manila and some politicians.</p><p>Tarriela noted that “it will be easier for China to carry out those illegal activities” without transparency efforts, especially after it declared<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/9/10/china-to-establish-nature-reserve-at-scarborough-shoal-2148"> Bajo de Masinloc as its national natural reserve.</a></p><p>“Ang mga Pilipino makakalimutin. If we silence transparency now, in 2028, nalimot na uli ng mga Pilipino kung sino ang mga politikong hindi tumindig para sa ating paninindigan sa West Philippine Sea,” Tarriela said, surmising the possibility that the Chinese government could support a candidate in 2028 who would align with its interests.</p><p>Tarriela said China’s FIMI operations have intensified in recent years, in what appears to be an effort to counter the Philippine government’s transparency campaign.</p><p>“I don’t think that the Chinese government will eventually say that, ‘We’ll stop doing this.’ Because this is a battle of narrative. FIMI is basically a battle of narrative — how can they be able to shape the public opinion,” he said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/11/ph-rejects-china-plan-to-establish-nature-reserve-at-scarborough-1201">Philippines protests China nature reserve plan for Scarborough Shoal</a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/11/27/carpio-warns-vs-china-possibly-putting-up-monitoring-station-in-scarborough-1620">Carpio warns vs China possibly putting up monitoring station in Scarborough</a></div><p>Meanwhile, Philippine Navy spokesperson Capt. Marissa Martinez said China’s aggressive social media posts countering some government officials and their claims could be part of its FIMI operations.</p><p>She emphasized the need to strengthen transparency strategies and public education efforts.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/14/lacson-says-senators-may-meet-with-chinese-embassy-officials-on-wps-row-1814">Lacson says senators may meet with Chinese embassy officials on WPS row</a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/14/tarriela-insists-threat-of-war-only-comes-from-pro-china-trolls-1645">Tarriela insists: Threat of war only comes from pro-China trolls</a></div><p>“The way they respond through media and the way they respond also through social media, it is one of their tactics, techniques, and procedures in terms of FIMI operations,” she said.</p><p>“And not only that, I would just like to highlight the emergence also of information laundering. And when I say information laundering, you do not know the origin of this, so it could either be a state actor or it could also be an individual or politician probably that could hire someone outside of the country and sell false information. And this is very dangerous,” the official continued. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/12/china-envoy-tells-philippines-let-s-talk-1319">China envoy tells Philippines: ‘Let’s talk’</a></div><div><br/></div><div><b>CYBERATTACKS FROM CHINA-BASED ACTORS PERSIST: AFP</b></div><div><br/></div><p>Meanwhile, the Philippine military on Thursday said the country continues to face escalating cybersecurity threats amid persistent cyberattacks from China.</p><p>In a forum organized by think tank Stratbase ADR Institute, Armed Forces of the Philippines Cyber Command chief Brigadier General Joey Fontiveros said China-based malicious actors have carried out malware intrusions, distributed denial-of-service attacks, data leaks, and website compromises, supposedly linked to tensions in the West Philippine Sea.</p><p>“The country&#x27;s cybersecurity landscape in 2026 is characterized by escalating threats driven by geopolitical tensions, rapid digital transformation, and a sophisticated adversary environment, particularly from state-sponsored actors,” Fontiveros said in his speech.</p><p>He said the country has detected foreign attempts to access intelligence data, though no major breaches have been confirmed, underscoring vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure such as healthcare, transportation, and power grids.</p><p>“The defense sector, the Department of National Defense, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines view cybersecurity as integral to national security, given the reliance on information systems for territorial integrity and economic stability,” the official said.</p><p>“The landscape demands a shift from reactive to proactive defenses, integrating AI-powered detection and multilateral cooperation to counter hybrid threats in a digitally interconnected medium,” he added.</p><p>In a separate interview, Major General Michael Logico, commander of the Philippine Army Training Command, assured that the country is capable of addressing the issue and has strategies in what he described as “asymmetric warfare.”</p><p>“Smaller nations also have strategies on their own to fight against bigger nations,” Logico said. “So we have developed also strategies on how to deal with that.”</p><p>“Part of it is also developing our own capabilities to defend ourselves. We are also using all the other instruments of national power,” he added.</p><p>Fontiveros said government responses include the National Cybersecurity Plan, which emphasizes advanced threat assessment, capacity building, and closing skills gaps to bolster resilience.</p><p>The Philippines, he added, also actively collaborates with allies to strengthen cyber defenses, leveraging treaties and dialogues for shared intelligence, training, and technology transfer.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS:</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><iframe width="726" height="408" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k2fqoKpyiSI" title="Chinese warships shadow PH-US-Australia drills in West Philippine Sea | ABS-CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><iframe width="726" height="408" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pWPfLKj-rDQ" title="What Chinese envoy Jing Quan said at Lunar New Year celebration in Manila | ABS-CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><strong></strong><br/></div>

<p>China’s foreign interference and malign influence (FIMI) operations in the country may expand closer to the 2028 elections, Philippine officials said Friday, as they underscored the need to sustain transparency efforts to prevent division and animosity among Filipinos.</p>

China’s foreign interference and malign influence (FIMI) operations in the country may expand closer to the 2028 elections, Philippine officials said Friday, as they underscored the need to sustain transparency efforts to prevent division and animosity among Filipinos.

China info manipulation may expand closer to 2028 polls: officials

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China info manipulation may expand closer to 2028 polls: officials

Michael Delizo,

ABS-CBN News

Published February 20, 2026 01:32 PM PHT

|

Updated February 20, 2026 03:34 PM PHT

Read More:

FIMI

China

Philippine Coast Guard

West Philippine Sea

Jay Tarriela

Chinese Embassy

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