MANILA, April 25 (Reuters): Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos has ordered an investigation into alleged foreign interference in next month's elections after a top security official's warning that Chinese state-sponsored groups may be attempting to influence the outcome of the vote.
"This is truly alarming," Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro told a media briefing. "We will conduct a thorough investigation so we can uncover the truth behind this."
The order came after a top National Security Council official told a Senate hearing on Thursday that signs of Chinese information operations had been detected.
His comments coincided with Senator Francis Tolentino presenting what he said was evidence linking the Chinese embassy in Manila to the proliferation of "troll farm" operations in the Philippines.
Tolentino said the embassy had paid a local marketing firm to run online operations, and presented what we said was a copy of cheque issued by the mission as proof.
"These troll farms were engaged not only to openly provide information and convey the policies of the Chinese government but also to act as a covert disinformation and influence operation against the Philippine government and the Filipino people," Tolentino said in a statement on Thursday.
China's foreign ministry and its embassy in Manila rejected the accusations.
"China follows the principle of non-interference in other countries' domestic affairs," Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the ministry said on Thursday. "We have no interest in interfering in Philippine elections." At stake in the May elections are 317 congressional seats and thousands of local posts, but the fiercest contest is for 12 spots in the 24-seat Senate, a chamber known for its power in shaping policy.
The allegations come amid strained ties and confrontations between China and U.S. ally the Philippines in the past few years over disputed features in the South China Sea.
The Chinese embassy rejected what it called "heinous accusation towards China" by opportunistic politicians.
"We noticed the attempts of some politicians to play the so-called China card to serve their political self interests and boost their election prospects," it said. "Such attempts are despicable and doomed to failure."
Tolentino in a press conference on Friday accused China of mounting a "coordinated effort to undermine the democratic system and our way of life," saying part of the objective was to help elect "pro-China" senatorial candidates in the mid-term elections. He did not name the candidates.
(Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Martin Petty) -- Reuters
