The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has uncovered a massive surge in online opposition against the country’s claims in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). What started as monitoring around 1,000 social media trolls has now ballooned to a staggering 10,000 accounts.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the WPS, revealed this dramatic rise during a recent forum. “When we began our transparency initiative, we tracked roughly 1,000 trolls. Today, that number has exploded more than tenfold,” he explained. These accounts actively challenge the Philippines’ stance on the WPS.
Tarriela painted a clear picture of this coordinated online campaign. The trolls operate on three levels: influencers or initiators who spark the narrative, disseminators who spread it widely, and reposters who keep the message alive. Their goal? To undermine the Philippines’ legal claims and portray the nation as the provocateur in the region.
More than that, these online warriors accuse the United States of pulling strings behind the scenes, alleging that it is the real force driving the Philippines into conflict over the WPS. They also launch fierce attacks against government officials who stand firm on the country’s maritime rights.
This digital battlefield unfolds against the backdrop of rising tensions in the South China Sea—a vital waterway handling over $3 trillion in annual shipping trade. Beijing’s sweeping claim over nearly the entire sea crosses those of the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei alike.
In response, the Philippine government renamed parts of the contested waters as the West Philippine Sea, reinforcing its sovereign rights. This area includes the waters west of the Philippine archipelago, such as the Luzon Sea and regions around the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc.
The stakes are high. Back in 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague handed a landmark ruling favoring the Philippines, declaring China’s expansive claims had no legal basis. But China has flatly rejected this decision, keeping the dispute alive on all fronts—now both on sea and in cyberspace.