Photo courtesy of PNA
Retired Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad has issued a warning against 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 problematic flood control projects.
Speaking at a news forum, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) disclosed that the said operations had gradually shifted their focus over the past four to six months from pro-China narratives to issues affecting the country.
Trinidad noted that the trend is expected to persist until 2028, which would coincide with the end of the administration of incumbent President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr.
“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 Sanjia, (VP Duterte’s) impeachment trial and flood control issues,” he pointed out.
The retired rear admiral was referring to the Philippine Sanjia-Steel Corporation, a steel manufacturing company operating in the Philippine Veterans Investment Development Corporation (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.
Impeachment prosecution team adviser and spokesperson Robert Ace Barbers, who also attended the forum, expressed agreement, urging the Filipino public to carefully evaluate information encountered online and, whenever possible, examine actual evidence in all issues, particularly the impeachment against VP Duterte.
“Fake news circulates every day,” he cited, adding that 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 asserted.
“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 continued further.
