FIMI in the Philippines election 2025 — The Chinese Interference-Part 1
Chapter 1: Introduction and Background
“Power doesn’t corrupt people, it reveals who they really are.”
What if the most dangerous threat to democracy isn’t a dictator, but disinterest? Across the world, elections are celebrated as victories of the people, but in reality, they’re often battlegrounds where silence can be louder than protest. When voters turn away, broken systems stay intact, and the worst actors move unchecked. In countries where the personal is always political, choosing not to vote isn’t an escape, it’s an endorsement of whatever comes next.
1.1 The Philippine General Election: Context and Significance
The 2025 Philippine general elections are scheduled for May 12, 2025, marking the country’s midterm polls. Nearly 70 million registered voters are expected to participate in this nationwide event, which will fill a total of 18,280 positions across 14 different posts, from the Senate down to municipal councillors.
Voters will elect 12 senators, who will serve six-year terms until June 30, 2031, as well as 254 district representatives and 63 party-list representatives for the House of Representatives, each serving three-year terms. Additionally, thousands of local government officials-including governors, mayors, and councillors-will be chosen. The Senate race has drawn significant interest, with 184 individuals filing candidacies for the 12 available seats; after disqualifications and withdrawals, 66 candidates remain on the final ballot.
This election is pivotal for the Philippines, as it will determine the legislative direction and local governance for the next several years. The outcome will shape national policies, influence the balance of power between administration and opposition, and affect the implementation of reforms at both national and local levels. The 2025 elections are also seen as a barometer for public sentiment ahead of the 2028 presidential race, making their impact far-reaching.
1.2 From Palace to Prison: The Fall and Fracture of Rodrigo Duterte
The 2022 elections not only installed a new generation of leaders, but it also marked a turning point. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. became president, giving new life to a contentious legacy, while old friend Rodrigo Duterte was starting to feel the political winds change against him. For years, Duterte has been a giant of Philippine politics, and his forceful war on drugs has generated fervent allegiance as well as denunciation worldwide. All of that changed on March 11, 2025, when he was arrested in Manila, the day after he returned from a visit to Hong Kong on an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The charge: crimes against humanity of murder, allegedly committed between 1 November 2011 and 16 March 2019 in the Philippines. The response was immediate. Loyal supporters, both online and offline, attempted to recast the arrest as political persecution — ignoring the serious charges tied to years of state violence. Petitions were initiated, hashtags went viral, and protests occupied not only the streets but also social media — many driven by misinformation or coordinated campaigns rather than genuine democratic concern. The ICC was not deterred. And as Duterte waits for his next hearing on 23 September 2025, one fact remains: he has not been convicted and is still eligible to run for mayor. His case has become a mirror, showing the deep cleavages, allegiances, and contradictions that exist in today’s Philippine politics.
Support for Duterte was not limited to the Philippines. Chinese state media and social media influencers have also been sympathetic to him posting commentary and content that frames his arrest as politically motivated instead of strictly judicial. From emphasizing his previous leadership to condemning the current government, the Chinese narrative has resonated with many of the grievances expressed by his Filipino supporters.
Chapter 2: Social Media — The Manipulation tool
2.1 Trending Tyranny: How Hashtags Hijacked the Media
In the days following Duterte’s arrest, what appeared to be a public outcry quickly revealed itself as a calculated digital spectacle. Social media, particularly Twitter and Instagram, became the nerve centre of digital mobilization, where hashtags, images, and slogans were fired like rallying cries. Starting with #ProtectDuterte on March 11 (the day of his arrest), each day brought a new wave: #WeStandForPRRD on March 13, #BringHimHome on March 15, #BringPRRDHome and #GodSaveThePhilippines on March 16, and finally, #BringDuterteBackHome on March 17. The most jarring was #MarcosTraitor, which trended on March 16, but only on X, signalling a shift from defence to blame within nationalist circles. Overall 2491 tweets done by 580 unique users and 1498 instagram posts done by 934 unique users were gathered on these hashtags between 11th-17th March.
2.2 Twitter Campaign Strategy and Metrics
On Twitter, this wasn’t just public outrage. It was highly coordinated. Activity peaked on March 16, with over 570 tweets logged under pro-Duterte hashtags. An analysis of these six trending hashtags uncovered a deeper architecture: many of the most active accounts were newly created which displayed repetitive behaviour, and primarily focused on retweeting or replying classic signs of automation.
The above graph shows the top 20 users, based on the number of tweets they did on the above 7 hashtags) from the observed hashtags, most of these accounts did more than 50 tweets on these topics. We identified top 40 such accounts with multiple tweets on these hashtags and these accounts showed three distinct types of bot/coordinated behaviour(Refer: Graph-2). The first group consists of accounts with unusually high retweet volumes(ones with bigger red bars in Graphs-2), primarily focused on content amplification. These accounts are designed to artificially inflate the reach of specific messages, making them appear more popular than they truly are. The second category includes accounts that predominantly engage by replying to specific posts(shown with bigger green bars), often using targeted engagement tactics or manipulation strategies to sway conversations. The third group is defined by their consistent promotion of a pro-Duterte narrative, frequently spamming Facebook URLs and relevant hashtags to further amplify their message(ones with bigger blue bars).
What’s particularly striking is that nearly all these bot accounts also share content referencing China, pointing to a deliberate connection between these accounts and the broader geopolitical interests at play. This subtle yet powerful use of bots underscores an even more insidious form of online manipulation, one that aims to amplify a political agenda while also aligning it with foreign interests.
Digging deeper, we extracted the top 20 most-retweeted posts, from the posts on the 7 hashtags in discussion, and mapped the accounts responsible for amplifying them. This produced a dense retweet network of 714 accounts showing strong signs of coordination.
Among the 714 accounts, the top 30 accounts (based on daily average tweet) stood out due to their extraordinary tweet volumes per day, as high as 382 tweets per day on an average, amplifying specific pro-Duterte narratives with robotic consistency.
Notably, the creation timelines of these 714 accounts also clustered toward 2024 and early 2025, during this duration 134 out of these 714 accounts were created, suggesting many were set up around the time of Duterte’s legal troubles, possibly with intent to influence discourse.
Even their profile bios painted a picture. A word cloud analysis of their descriptions included emotionally charged and ideologically consistent terms: “truth,” “god,” “lover,” “Duterte,” “Filipino,” and “patriot.” These weren’t passive profiles; they were curated identities used to lend moral weight to political messaging.
Analysing the influencers/Originators
In addition to the volume and coordination of tweets, another critical dimension was the activity of key influencer accounts, accounts with more than 5K followers, out of 580 unique users only 26 fell into this category. After Duterte’s arrest,these 26 prominent influencer profiles showed a visible spike in engagement. These accounts ranging from high-follower political commentators to niche voices repeatedly used pro-Duterte hashtags and directly mentioned him in a bid to shape public sentiment and anchor a sympathetic online narrative. Many of these influencers either mass-posted slogans or acted as consistent content engines, creating what appeared to be a deliberately engineered swell of support. The tweet creation timeline for these influencer accounts show a peak in March and April 2025.
Out of top 26 influencers these are the top-10 accounts based on their average daily tweet count.
The above graph shows a pattern that several high follower influencer accounts were involved in artificially inflating the reach of specific narratives whereas several influencer accounts were only mass posting to seed the narrative. The ones in red were only retweeting and these accounts have higher follower counts and the one which did post on their own (one with bigger blue bars) had more views. The graph below shows the top 10 users out of these 26 users, which got the the highest views and these are the ones with the most number of tweets compared to replies and retweets.
An important twist in this campaign was the frequent mention of “China” by several of these active accounts. Whether organically aligned or not, a noticeable group of pro-Duterte influencers referenced China in their posts. For example @AnnaMalindogUy 129 times, SupportJimmyLai mentioned 88 times etc. (she also shared multiple links from CGTN, a Chinese state media outlet), and others followed with repeated citations. The overlap between Duterte-related narratives and China mentions adds a new layer to the coordination strategy. The below are the screenshots of some of the pro-chinese tweets from these accounts.
We also analysed the stance for 283 previous tweets on China from these accounts and more than 88% of the tweets had either a positive or neutral stance towards China.
2.3 Instagram Parallel Movements
Instagram followed a parallel arc, when analysed for similar hashtags. While less aggressive and more emotional in tone, it showed similar repetition and hashtag-heavy behaviour. Content ranged from highly engaged influencer-like profiles (such as @malcolm_conlan and @harryroque) to lifestyle and business pages that pivoted sharply to political content. Though there were genuine posts from supportive users, the overall pattern — uniform captions, repeated hashtags, and frequent activity hinted at strategic coordination.
2.4 Facebook Content Analysis
After analysing Twitter & Instagram, Facebook presented us another critical platform where Chinese media’s narratives on the Philippines are shaped and amplified during the same duration. A breakdown of the top 5 Facebook posts by likes reveals intense public engagement with issues of sovereignty and political turmoil. Notably, a post asserting China’s control over Tiexian Jiao garnered 2,400 likes and 375 comments, reflecting strong resonance with nationalist sentiments. Another widely liked post discussed former President Duterte’s detention and Hague transfer, which sparked not just digital reactions but real-world protests.
Top 5 Posts by Likes — Detailed Table
The view metrics further highlight the power of visual content. A video showing Duterte’s arrival in the Netherlands received over 21,000 views, nearly double the next highest post demonstrating the efficacy of video storytelling in eliciting attention. Posts using strong visuals, such as CCG enforcement footage or reef damage, consistently appeared among the most viewed.
Top 5 Posts by Views — Detailed Table
When it comes to comments, posts that stirred controversy especially involving Duterte and South China Sea sovereignty — generated the highest volumes. These posts often triggered heated exchanges and political debate in the comments section, suggesting that Facebook serves not only for broadcast but also for fostering discursive engagement.
Top 5 Most Commented Facebook Posts — Full Table
Beyond individual posts, a media-level comparison shows that China Daily leads in volume with 24 posts, suggesting strategic editorial prioritization. However, China Xinhua News dominates in user appreciation, topping the like charts. In contrast, Global Times and China Daily lead in total video views, indicating their ability to attract watch time.
The posting activity of Chinese state media from February to early May 2025 reveals deliberate pacing and strategic surges. China Xinhua News and China Daily showed synchronized spikes around mid-March, precisely when Duterte’s arrest took place, suggesting a coordinated editorial response to the event. Meanwhile, CGTN and Global Times maintained consistent yet spaced-out posting rhythms, contributing just enough to stay relevant without flooding the timeline. Notably, People’s Daily, China though the least active overall showed a short burst of content in April, indicating reactive coverage to renewed public interest or unfolding diplomatic developments. This timeline underscores how state-linked outlets adjust their messaging flow around politically sensitive moments, balancing visibility with narrative control.
Additionally, a Word Cloud constructed from Facebook post text highlights recurring terms like “Duterte,” “Philippines,” “sovereignty,” and “jurisdiction,” reinforcing the thematic focus on territorial integrity, maritime conflict, and legal confrontation.
Chapter 3: Behind the Curtain — Networks of Narrative Control
3.1 The Dragon’s Whisper: China’s Quiet Grip on the Narrative
When we gathered data on Duterte and Philippines Keyword in Mandarin, #菲律宾 #杜特尔特, we got 85 posts on Twitter, out of which 61 was done by Philippines Dragon Media (PDM) and all in support of Duterte.
We looked in the domain registration details of this media outlet and it was registered in the name of Demry Cheng. We then looked into Demry’s Linkedin profile, which uncovered his and the platform’s Chinese connections.
Philippine Dragon Media (PDM) basically aims to “become a righteous and credible Chinese online media that the Chinese community in the Philippines can rely on at anytime”. So, basically they want to serve the local Chinese community in the Philippines and not the Filipinos.
Nevertheless, we went ahead with our analysis and we looked into the telegram Channel of PDM, despite being a supposed news platform, its activity was limited to strict office hours 9 AM to 5 PM on weekdays leaving its active reporting duties during evenings and weekends.
In fact, a bar graph of their Telegram activity shows the posts during weekdays and weekends and the post on weekends amount to less than 3%, that to most of them being done on weekends of March and April 2025. This clearly points to the absence of organic or journalistic urgency.
Interestingly, when election dates drew near, posting behaviour changed — messages began appearing even on weekends, indicating a possible shift in directive or messaging urgency. It’s as though instructions were being handed down from their ‘masters,’ prompting weekend activity and higher output.
As the country fell into cyberspace anarchy, the Philippine Dragon Media Network quietly continued its operations behind a carefully constructed facade,.This deliberately scheduled and tightly controlled posting behaviour raises serious questions about the authenticity, autonomy, and political motives of these so-called media operations.
3.2 State Mouthpiece: How/Why SMNI Became Duterte’s Megaphone
Old Friend’s Firm to the rescue
Amid the chaos of the arrest of Duterte SMNI News Channel- another key propaganda outlet quickly rose to become the most active player in the media manipulation hustle, they posted 2200 tweets in favour of Duterte from Jan till May 4th. After his arrest in March the channel posted around 1000 times in a 15 days span and these posts are only about Duterte, promoting him, criticising his arrest and sympathising with him.
This is not random activity, it is intentional. SMNI is controlled by Swara Sug Media Corporation (SSMC), its parent company is the “Executive Pastor of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name, Inc.”, which owns a total of 99.68% of SSMC . Apollo C. Quiboloy is founder of SMNI and also the honorary chairman for SSMC.
Apollo Quiboloy was also the executive pastor of the religious group Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name (KOJC TNAEN), till December 2022. He has been a close confidant of Duterte, a controversial televangelist and a wanted criminal by the FBI for Human Trafficking. Quiboloy, as the head of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ group, is not just a face. He is in the inner ring of Duterte, a part of the political machine.
SMNI has remained staunchly positioned as a megaphone, providing almost nightmarish levels of pro-Duterte propaganda.What makes this even more sinister is that the person running this propaganda for Duterte using SMNI is a criminal, wanted by the FBI for human trafficking.
The relationship between Quiboloy, Duterte and SMNI, guarantees that the purpose of the channel is not to convey facts but to generate hype, regardless of the absurdity or lies. This is not journalism. It is a political weapon, and the stakes have never been higher.
3.3 The Digital Divide: When Diaspora, Disinformation, and Desire Collide
Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are often labelled the lifeblood of the Philippine economy, contributing a staggering $38.34 billion in remittances in 2023 alone. With an estimated 10 to 15 million Filipinos living abroad — spanning regions from North America to the Middle East — their socio-economic significance is undeniable. Nearly 2 million Filipinos leave the country each year to seek employment overseas, many in sectors like healthcare, engineering, and hospitality. Yet, despite this vast diaspora and their deep ties to the homeland, the outrage on social media over Duterte’s arrest doesn’t reflect proportionately in real-world protests. Countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which host a major chunk of this population — 20% and 13.6% respectively — saw little to no public demonstrations. The same pattern followed in other Asian and European nations. This disparity raises a critical question: if millions of OFWs are supposedly outraged, where is the real-world mobilization? The answer points toward a manufactured storm — amplified online, inflated by bot networks, and detached from the reality on the ground. The numbers don’t lie, but the narrative being pushed certainly tries to.
The above image shows the countries with OFW population where protests were organised on March 16th, this date coincides with the Pro-Duterte amplification on social media platforms like Twitter & Instagram.
Chapter 4: Beijing’s Broadcast — Influencing the Public Mind
4.1 Made in China: State Media’s Silent Invasion
As Duterte’s arrest sparked political aftershocks, several Chinese state-affiliated media outlets jumped into high gear each following its own rhythm but all echoing a common theme: shaping the Philippine narrative to align with China’s geopolitical interests. We analysed Twitter posts and Articles from these media houses on the Philippines keyword . We included 6 Chinese media houses in our analysis — China Daily, China Xinhua News, China News, Global Times, CGTN and People’s Daily . Below is the analysis.
XH News focused on local tragedies like fires and plane crashes, subtly interweaving stories about China-Philippines maritime diplomacy. The graph above shows a distinct spike in activity right after Duterte’s arrest, suggesting strategic timing behind its seemingly neutral coverage. Articles from XH News, such as “Philippines Achievements and Events” and “Philippines-China Tensions Over Foreign Alliances,” align with the pattern of focusing on diplomatic issues while downplaying the impact of internal Philippine political developments. Word clouds based on these articles emphasize key themes of territorial disputes and China’s stance on alliances.
PD China leaned into soft diplomacy, constantly highlighting “China-Philippines Maritime Relations.” Its posting timeline graph reveals a consistent but tightly controlled rhythm — more press release than journalism, and timed for diplomatic impact.
EChinanews took a more direct approach with articles like “China-Philippines-US Military Relations” and “Philippines-China Relations: Cooperation and Criminal Incidents.” The corresponding graph shows sudden bursts of activity that align with sensitive developments in Philippine politics, signalling a reactive, agenda-driven approach. Their coverage clearly centres around the South China Sea disputes and the political dynamics surrounding these tensions. Word clouds from EChinanews articles reflect keywords like “military relations,” “South China Sea,” and “geopolitical tensions.
ChinaDaily didn’t hold back, covering topics such as “Duterte Arrested: ICC Warrant Execution” and “China-Philippines Diplomatic Strain.” The tweet frequency graph shows a sharp, tactical increase post-arrest, revealing how swiftly it capitalized on the political turbulence. Articles like “South China Sea Territorial Disputes: China-Philippines” and “Duterte’s ICC Hearing and Philippine Self-Determination” were clearly designed to escalate tensions between the two countries. Word clouds for ChinaDaily’s articles strongly feature terms like “ICC,” “diplomatic strain,” and “territorial disputes.”.
CGTN mirrored PD China’s themes, with a focus on maritime diplomacy and cross-border cooperation. The activity graph suggests deliberate pacing — posting just enough to stay relevant while maintaining a polished image of bilateral harmony. The articles “PhilippinesChina Relations and AI in China’s Future” and “Geopolitical Dynamics: US-Philippines-China Relations” show CGTN’s balanced approach, focusing on diplomatic and economic cooperation rather than political discord. Word clouds for CGTN’s content emphasize diplomacy, economic ties, and regional cooperation.
Finally, Global Times went full throttle, with coverage ranging from “China-Philippines-US Geopolitical Dynamics” to denying espionage claims. Its tweet timeline graph shows the most aggressive spike of all, making it clear its role as Beijing’s bluntest mouthpiece in the region. Articles such as “Philippines-China Tensions and Duterte Asylum Allegations” and “Duterte Criticizes US Military Presence in Philippines” reflect Global Times’ confrontational stance. Word clouds of Global Times articles indicate a heavy focus on geopolitical dynamics, security concerns, and anti-US rhetoric.
4.2 Timing and Coordination Patterns
Articles creation timeline and Stance on Duterte & Philippines:
- All the above media houses have written about 460 articles on the Philippines in the last 5 years out of which 127 has been written in the last 4 months from Jan 2025 to June 2025, showing the desperation and the extreme interest of CCP in the Philippines General elections 2025.
We did analysis on 127 articles that were published in 2025, below is the stance of those articles on the Philippines. These articles were either neutral or negative towards the Philippines. The 3 positive articles were about the Philippines claiming its 1st ever Winter Asian gold medal and Chinese Hybrid rice varieties are thriving in the Philippines enhancing food security, two similar articles on the 2nd topic.
Out of these 127 articles 50 articles mentioned Duterte, out of these 50 articles, not a single one of them had a negative stance towards Duterte.
We extracted the topics of the articles about Duterte for both neutral and positive stances.
Neutral: Two clusters were created and topics are: 39
Cluster 0: Duterte’s Arrest and International Reactions
Cluster 1: “Shifting Alliances in Philippine Foreign Policy: Duterte’s China Diplomacy vs. U.S. Tilt Under Marcos”
Positive: Only one cluster
Cluster 0: Duterte-era legacy and China relations
• So in conclusion China can write one or two positive articles for the Philippines once in a while but nothing against Duterte comes out of their pen.
Apart from the CCP sponsored mainstream media, there were multiple blog/static html pages those were promoting pro Duterte content in Mandarin.
Chapter 5: Worn Allegiance — Politics in the Marketplace
5.1 Wear the Lie:
Fashioned for a Cause or Bought for Control? As political tensions reached a fever pitch under Duterte’s regime, an unsettling spectacle unfolded, not just in rallies or online spaces, but in the marketplace. A flood of pro-Duterte merchandise began circulating both locally and internationally: t-shirts, caps, mugs, and posters emblazoned with slogans like “I Stand With Duterte” and “FREE PRRD.” But this wasn’t organic public support; it was packaged, printed, and pushed by anonymous vendors and offshore sellers, many of whom operate through platforms like Amazon, Walmart, and Teepublic. Some listings even trace back to sellers based in China, raising urgent questions about who profits from this narrative and why. On Duterte’s birthday, this commercial propaganda machine reached a symbolic peak: supporters showed up in coordinated green gear, some printed on-the-spot by volunteers, transforming public spaces into orchestrated displays of loyalty. This isn’t just branding, it’s political theatre, weaponized through merchandise. When political allegiance becomes a t-shirt slogan sold by faceless entities, the line between public sentiment and strategic manipulation blurs dangerously. This isn’t support, it’s a sale.
Chapter 6: Collapsing the Facade
6.1 Conclusion
The Chinese FIMI (Foreign Information Manipulation & Interface)in Philippines elections and the open support for Duterte from CCP can be clearly viewed by analysing the different social media platforms, digital print media and other social networking platforms. Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram didn’t just mirror China’s support for Duterte’s but they became platforms for manufactured chaos, blurring the line between public support and artificial narratives. The rise of bots and influencers spreading state-sanctioned messages showcased a digital manipulation machine, where repetition of a message outstripped its truth.
A sympathetic narrative towards Duterte was manufactured by China and they tried to fabricate fake support across the world, especially targeting nations with higher OFWs population, for which they not only used social media influencers & bot accounts but their own media houses went full throttle in support of Duterte. Apart from Chinese support there was support from CCP sponsored media outlets based in the Philippines and few of the already convicted friends of Duterte.
The goal? To weaponize public opinion and create sympathy for Duterte, using the volume of fake support to drown out real criticism. While the political spectacle continues to dominate, the real question will be for how long they can keep pushing the illusion and can maintain this facade before it finally unravels.
Credits:
Thanks to Yvonne T. Chua for her guidance and insights regarding the Philippines political scenario. Yvonne is an associate professor of journalism at the University of the Philippines Diliman and the project coordinator of Tsek.ph
Special thanks to DoubleThink Lab (DTL) team for their inputs in research. We will also be publishing a 2nd part of this report in partnership with DTL.
About ThinkFi:
We develop State of the art tools to gather and analyse data from open sources (OSINT) to detect misinformation, propaganda and disinformation in the cyberspace. Our products are powered by our research in AI and ML.
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