Jinggoy urges Senate to probe disinformation drive about West PH Sea

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada
—Senate PRIB file photo

MANILA, Philippine — Senator Jinggoy Estrada has asked the Senate to look into an alleged foreign state-sponsored disinformation campaign about the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Through Senate Resolution No. 910 he filed Monday, Estrada urged the Senate committee on public information and mass media and other appropriate committees to conduct the probe.

In the resolution, he lamented how false and unfounded narratives about the WPS sow disunity and confusion among Filipinos.

These false information, he said, also undermine the country’s historic victory in the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

“While the defense establishment is already monitoring and countering the false narratives perpetrated about the West Philippine Sea, the anti-fake news campaign requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-nation approach involving citizen empowerment and education in order to become truly effective,” said Estrada, chairman of the Senate committee on national defense and security.

The senator, thus,  underscored the importance of determining and assessing “the reach and machineries behind the disinformation campaign.”

“This will help in formulating policies and strategies to address the matter, dismantle the network of fake news peddlers, and overcome its adverse impact,” he pointed out.

The resolution mentioned previous statements by some government officials as well as media reports of the supposed disinformation campaigns and attempts to divert public attention from China’s aggressive actions to Vietnam’s supposed militarization in the WPS.

“The ease, speed, and breadth with which false information about the WPS can be disseminated across the internet, as well as the ubiquity and accessibility of social media platforms, necessitate an urgent and comprehensive response from the government, as such can incite unpatriotic sentiments and disloyalty to the country among Filipinos,”  Estrada said.

“Securing the integrity of the national territory and protecting our maritime entitlements and national sovereignty are of paramount interest to the country,” he further said.