AFP warns of 'foreign malign influence' riding on Sara Duterte trial, local issues

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Saturday warned of a growing trend in which foreign malign influence operations are riding on local issues, including the ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte and concerns over flood control projects.

Speaking at a forum, AFP spokesperson retired Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said these operations had gradually shifted their focus over the past four to six months from pro-China narratives to issues affecting the country.

"As Congressman (Robert Ace) Barbers mentioned earlier regarding the impeachment, and (Col. Francel Padilla) noted regarding bots and technology—these are all interconnected. The trend for the past four to six months shows that malign information messaging is now riding on local issues," he said.

Trinidad said the trend was expected to persist until 2028, which would coincide with the end of the Marcos administration.

“Before, it was focused on the West Philippine Sea, pro-Davao, or pro-China narratives. Now, it is harder to detect because it is riding on the impeachment, Sanjia, and flood control issues,” Trinidad said.

Trinidad was referring to the Philippine Sanjia-Steel Corp., a steel manufacturing company operating in the PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, which became a national-security and political issue after authorities raided the facility on May 15, 2026, arresting around 69 Chinese workers and one Filipino.

Prosecution team adviser and spokesperson Robert Ace Barbers, who also attended the forum, urged the public to carefully evaluate information encountered online and, whenever possible, examine the actual evidence presented during the impeachment trial.

“Fake news circulates every day,” he said.

Barbers said lawmakers who endorsed Duterte’s impeachment also appeared to have been targeted by misinformation.

"Not only that. All those members of Congress who endorsed the impeachment against the Vice President are also in the crosshairs of fake news peddlers, so they are included," he said.

"Because I think if they cannot address the issue with substance, they resort to personal attacks against those individuals instead. That is one of the strategies we have observed," Barbers added.

The former lawmaker again urged the public to closely follow the impeachment proceedings and assess the evidence presented during the trial to guard against online misinformation.— MCG, GMA News