JV Ejercito warns PH trolls maligning own country

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. JV Ejercito on Sunday warned Filipinos who are suspected of being paid to discredit the government as well as personalities who speak out against China, saying they may be held liable for treason.

“We may consider that treason because it involves the interest of our country. That’s a security issue, national security issue…,” Ejercito said in a radio interview on dzBB.

“If this was another matter, they can possibly get away with it. But if it involves a national security issue, we have to consider it because the West Philippine Sea issue is a sensitive issue,” he added.

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Asked about social media posts that harass Filipinos who are critical of Beijing, Ejercito said these are trolls who are funded by China.

“That’s just a few trolls. They’re Chinese-funded trolls. There’s even a survey showing that about 90 percent of Filipinos are outraged over China’s actions. China is the biggest threat,” the senator said.

“We will continue to fight for our rights, our country’s territorial rights over the exclusive economic zone. I will stand for our sovereignty. I will stand against all Chinese propaganda,” Ejercito said.

Tolentino exposé

During a Senate hearing last year, Sen. Francis Tolentino claimed that China, through its embassy in Manila, hired a Filipino private marketing company to set up a “troll farm” to discredit the Philippine government and personalities who were anti-China.

Tolentino said a “service agreement” between the Chinese Embassy and InfinitUs Marketing Solutions Inc. in August 2023 included the provision of “keyboard warriors that will play a vital role in the overall effectiveness of the issue management project.”

He added that InfinitUs was hired to spread pro-Beijing narratives and fake news campaigns targeting lawmakers who support the Philippines’ claims over the West Philippine Sea.

“This is not a simple contract,” Tolentino said. “This contract and payment mean the destruction of the dignity of the Filipino, the stomping on the dignity of the Philippines.”

According to him, the “social media army” accounts allegedly created by InfinitUs for the Chinese Embassy included 330 Facebook and 30 X (formerly Twitter) accounts. One operation is run by 11 people, including a team leader, he added.

Tolentino said the keyboard warriors were probably fellow Filipinos, adding that the fake accounts have garnered up to 53,322 “friends” who are real people.

“So, this means that the accounts appearing on Facebook are not real people. These are trolls. Unfortunately, our fellow Filipinos are being misled,” he said.

The firm, for its part, denied Tolentino’s allegations and said there was no such contract with the Chinese Embassy or any foreign government for a troll army.

Best approach

For Ejercito, diplomacy remains the best approach amid ongoing tensions over the West Philippine Sea and the recent word war between Chinese diplomats and Filipino lawmakers.

“We’re being branded as pro-war and anti-China, but we don’t want war. We exhaust all diplomatic means but we cannot allow them to disrespect us,” he said.

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“If they want us to be friends, they have to respect us. We have a long history of friendship, relationship. We have many Chinoys, we have economic ties. But we have to be clear that they have to respect the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos). They have to respect territorial integrity and sovereignty of our country,” the senator added.

He stressed the importance of forging alliances with other “right-minded nations” and making them partners in the fight for sovereignty as the Philippines was no match for China, a superpower.

At the same time, Ejercito clarified that he is not mad against Chinese people, saying, “I’m mad against (Chinese President) Xi Jinping and his expansionist government.”

At least 15 senators earlier signed Senate Resolution No. 256 which condemned the Chinese Embassy for its public statements criticizing Philippine officials and institutions that defended the country’s sovereignty and maritime rights. INQ