Philippines Facing ‘Info War’ Over Disputed Seas

As the country prepares to mark in July the 10th anniversary of the landmark 2016 arbitral ruling on its maritime claim, senior military officials and security experts have warned of escalating “political and informational war” marked by cyberattacks, disinformation and foreign influence operations as China continues its illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive (ICAD) behavior in the West Philippine Sea.

At a recent forum organized by Stratbase Institute and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung on Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) modernization, experts pushed for an expansion of the military’s modernization beyond traditional weapons platforms to include cyber defense, intelligence, strategic communications and cognitive warfare capabilities. 

“Every day, efforts to undermine and discredit the ruling persist. In recent years, the country has faced sustained asymmetric gray zone challenges across multiple domains: water cannons and ramming incidents in the maritime space, dangerous maneuvers and flares in the airspace and information warfare in the digital domain,” Stratbase president Victor Andres Manhit said in his keynote address. 

These challenges, he explained, “are expected to intensify in 2026” – thus the need for the Philippines to develop “credible capability” to assert and operationalize the landmark ruling because “we need to transition from asserting our rights to defending our rights.” 

Armed Forces chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said the 2016 arbitral ruling remained central to the Philippines’ broader effort to uphold the rules-based international order. 

“(The ruling) reinforced the importance of international law as a stabilizing force in maritime relations and as a peaceful mechanism for resolving disputes. The AFP’s modernization efforts, therefore, serve a broader purpose. They are intended to preserve peace by strengthening deterrence,” he said.  

‘Already at war’

Armed Forces Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Arvin Lagamon said the Philippines must adopt a mindset that “we are already at war.”

“Not yet a kinetic war, but the political war, the economic war and, more importantly, the cyber and informational war is already going on,” Lagamon said in his address. 

He noted that the Philippines continues to confront China’s “daily illegal, coercive, aggressive, deceptive, destructive and bullying” activities at sea. 

He also noted the Chinese’s “use of sharp power through their United Front Works and their malign information and foreign influence information.” 

At the forum, Manhit also pushed for a “long-term and adaptive defense strategy” that would outlast political cycles and deepen defense cooperation with like-minded nations.

Such partnerships, said German Ambassador Andreas Pfaffernoschke, would be essential as the Philippines seeks to modernize its military capabilities and strengthen regional deterrence. 

”It can hardly be achieved in isolation… The goal of all this is to jointly prevent military escalation through credible deterrence,” he stressed.

Pfaffernoschke also expressed hopes that Germany and the Philippines could soon begin negotiations for a visiting forces agreement similar to arrangements Manila has forged with other European countries.

Former AFP chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista, for his part, emphasized that the ultimate objective of modernization was credible deterrence – “but the caveat is (that) capability development is meaningless unless we consistently demonstrate the will to fight for our rights.”

“We need to protect the cognitive domain of the Filipino people. Filtering, sifting through the information being put out is critical to the perception of the Filipino people… For all we know, we might be electing somebody by 2028 because of manipulation of the perception of the public,” retired Rear Admiral Roy Trinidad, AFP spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, said.

On Friday, May 22, Brawner awarded soldiers stationed on Pag-asa Island in the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) for their professionalism, discipline and unwavering dedication in safeguarding the country’s sovereignty and maintaining stability in the WPS.

“We recognize that what you are doing here in the Kalayaan Island Group is maintaining peace in this part of our country. You are putting your lives on the line to preserve peace and protect our freedom,” Brawner said. 

With Brawner during the ceremonies were Western Command chief Vice Admiral Alan Javier, Western Naval Command Commander Rear Admiral Vincent Sibala and Kalayaan Mayor Billy Alindogan.