The Chinese Embassy in Manila allegedly hired “keyboard warriors” from Makati-based Infinitus Marketing Solutions to spread pro-Beijing propaganda and target pro-West Philippine Sea lawmakers, Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino said Thursday, April 24.
At a Senate hearing, Tolentino showed part of a contract between the embassy’s media chief Wu Chenqi and Infinitus executive Myka Poynton, offering a coordinated disinformation drive.
“Hindi ito simpleng kontrata. Ito pong kontrata at kabayarang ito ay pagyurak sa dignidad ng mga Pilipino, pagyapak sa dignidad ng Pilipinas. Lahat ng lumalabas ngayon, karamihan, ‘yung akala natin ay viral, ‘yung akala natin pinag-uusapan talaga ay base sa ganito: ang nagbayad ay China, para atakihin ang maraming personalidad,” Tolentino said.
“We have a Chinese government paying via its Embassy in Manila, Philippine nationals working for a troll farm, to attack our country, to attack the administration, using fake news, and with clear guidance, to keep secret what they are actually working for,” Tolentino added.
The lawmaker also said the document proved China directly funded the troll farm behind the disinformation campaign in the Philippines.
The document included a P930,000 check issued to Infinitus from an account under the name “Embassy of the People’s Republic of China,” dated 2023 and signed in Chinese characters.
According to Tolentino, the trolls were reportedly paid to post scripted pro-China messages and attack critics, including Surigao del Norte Rep. Ace Barbers, who is probing illegal POGO operations.
Tolentino added that the campaign also targeted President Marcos, with trolls told to compare him to his father, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., as part of a hate drive. (TCSP)
