China's 'Unseen War' on the Philippines Has Gone Digital: Think Tank Warns of Coordinated Cyber Offensive
The battlefield between the Philippines and China has expanded beyond the West Philippine Sea — and into cyberspace. The Stratbase ADR Institute warned this week that the country is now facing a "coordinated and sustained" cyber offensive from Beijing, with operations targeting information dominance, psychological warfare, and digital manipulation.
Stratbase President Victor Andres Manhit didn't mince words at the "Navigating Digital Crossroads" cybersecurity conference, organized in partnership with the Embassy of Canada. He called it an "unseen war" where modern conflict is no longer determined by military hardware but by the ability to control narratives, shape public perception, and erode institutional trust.
Manhit pointed to China's "three warfares" doctrine — psychological, legal, and public opinion warfare — as the framework already being deployed against the Philippines. According to the think tank, coordinated amplification of pro-China narratives and influence campaigns aimed at fracturing domestic consensus have already been detected. Even more alarming: potential interference in the 2028 national elections may already be underway.
The numbers back up the concern. A Stratbase-commissioned survey by Pulse Asia showed that 7 out of 10 Filipinos are seriously worried about misinformation — which analysts now consider a major national vulnerability. "What begins as 'fake news' rarely stays online," Manhit warned. "It migrates into community discourse, policy debates, and eventually national decision-making."
DICT Secretary Henry Rhoel Aguda echoed the alarm, saying the country's most exploitable weakness isn't infrastructure — it's public trust. He called for faster incident response mechanisms, stronger interagency coordination, and a whole-of-society approach to cybersecurity. The message is clear: the next front in the PH-China conflict won't be fought with ships. It'll be fought with algorithms.
Source: The Manila Times
