By Nikko Balbedina
A network of suspicious Chinese-linked X (formerly Twitter) accounts has simultaneously posted similar content related to Vice President Sara Duterte, boosting social media engagement around her.
The network, which consists of 25 accounts with Chinese usernames and 11 with English-language usernames, was also linked to a coordinated attack against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., likely in response to his signing of landmark legislations on Philippine territory and the West Philippine Sea.
Posts related to Duterte shared by the network of accounts included links to two news stories: an Aug. 8 Rappler report on her criticizing the administration and an Aug. 10 Philstar story in which she references cash, illegal drugs, and partying in what could be interpreted as veiled jabs at her rival Marcos Jr.
The coordinated posting of these links was first recorded on Aug. 16, the same day that Duterte’s brother, Davao Rep. Paolo Duterte, her husband Manases Carpio, and Chinese businessman Michael Yang, former economic adviser to President Rodrigo Duterte, were implicated in a ₱6-billion drug case during a House quad-committee inquiry into crimes involving illegal drugs and Chinese-run Philippine offshore gaming operations.
These links were posted again 18 times between Sept. 2 and Sept. 23 as the House of Representatives continued the investigation into the alleged misuse of public funds by the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, which Duterte previously headed.
The number of instances when the links were posted then dropped to only seven in October before surging to 20 when accounts with Chinese usernames posted them simultaneously during the Nov. 11 coordinated attack.
Along with the Duterte-related content, the accounts shared three separate Chinese news blog posts that criticized US involvement in Philippine maritime activities in the disputed waters and a screenshot of the already debunked “polvoron” video that falsely showed Marcos Jr. using illegal drugs.
On Nov. 16, PressOne.PH discovered that X had temporarily banned the Chinese-named accounts from their platform, warning users of “unusual activity.” – PressOne.PH
This report was made possible by an Internews project to build the capacity of news organizations in understanding disinformation and influence operations in the Philippines.