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MANILA, Philippines — While tensions between Manila and Beijing over the West Philippine Sea have long been a core issue in international diplomacy and defense, the conflict has also spilled over into the digital space—with some Filipinos pushing Chinese-aligned narratives online.
A Philstar.com analysis identified six vloggers—Boss Dada, Banat By, Bisdak Pilipinas, Pambansang Loyal, Coach Oli, and Brother’s Travellers—who have amplified defeatist views on the Philippines’ claims in the West Philippine Sea. These influencers, many of whom are known supporters of former President Rodrigo Duterte, have been promoting these narratives through monetized YouTube content viewed by thousands.
Duterte himself has publicly advanced such defeatist narratives, and many of his affiliated vloggers have continued to echo these messages even after his term ended.
These vloggers were selected based on their ties to Duterte—including photographs with the former president and frequent updates on his activities. All have sizable followings, with subscriber counts starting at 86,000.
The team reviewed five videos from each vlogger, spanning 2023 to 2024, focusing on their coverage of the West Philippine Sea dispute. The analysis revealed recurring rhetorical strategies: fear-mongering, deflecting blame to U.S. intervention, and the use of red herrings.
Fear-mongering
China has not hesitated to flex its political and military strength in the West Philippine Sea. Repeated clashes between Chinese vessels and Philippine boats stand as proof. That same projection of power is echoed by several pro-Duterte vloggers.
One common strategy identified by Philstar.com was fear-mongering: portraying China as overwhelmingly powerful and the Philippines as helpless. The team found at least 17 such statements across the sampled videos.
Boss Dada’s Darwin Salceda claimed, “Hangga't wala tayong malaking barko diyan na merong equal water cannon power with China, hindi tayo mananalo diyan sa South China Sea.”
Bisdak Pilipinas’ Pompio Juntilo Jr. asked, “Ito na kaya ang katapusan ng Republika ng Pilipinas? Digmaan.”
These dramatized scenarios play into viewers' anxieties, suggesting that asserting territorial rights will inevitably trigger catastrophic conflict.
Pambansang Loyal’s Riel Oja slightly diverges from the rest. While he has criticized China’s intrusion in some videos, he still echoes defeatist lines, including the view that Manila is weak compared to Beijing. Oja has also tried to justify Duterte’s accommodating stance toward China.
What’s wrong with this claim? Upholding the country’s territorial rights does not equate to provoking war. Since 2016, when the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled against China’s claims in the South China Sea, Manila has asserted its position without triggering full-scale conflict.
The Philippines has consistently emphasized that war is not its goal. Maritime confrontations have not escalated to open warfare because China relies on so-called “gray zone” tactics—actions that stop short of armed aggression.
The Philippines has responded with diplomatic protests, legal actions, and international transparency. These efforts are backed by domestic laws such as the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act, reinforcing claims under international law.
Blaming U.S. intervention
Another recurring narrative among pro-Duterte vloggers is that the United States is manipulating the Philippines into a conflict with China. Philstar.com identified at least 20 instances in which vloggers criticized the Philippines for relying too heavily on the U.S.
These narratives suggest that defense agreements like the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) provoke Chinese aggression and paint the Philippines as a pawn of American interests.
Brother’s Travellers’ Dhan Chan asked, “Sino ngayon ang nalalapit na kaaway o gumagawa ng komosyon...kung hindi po itong China at Pilipinas sa udyok ni Uncle Sam?”
Coach Oli (Lord Oliver Cristobal) echoed, “Nagpapagamit tayo sa Amerika... ang hilig sumawsaw ng Amerika.”
These statements closely mirror those found in Chinese state media.
What’s wrong with this claim? While the U.S. is a treaty ally, the Philippine government has repeatedly stated it will only invoke the Mutual Defense Treaty in the event of a direct, armed attack resulting in Filipino casualties—a threshold that has not been met.
The Philippines’ actions in its exclusive economic zone are consistent with international law, and its claims are supported by multiple nations, not just the U.S.
The South China Sea dispute involves a wider array of claimants and interests—including Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Brunei. Blaming U.S. involvement oversimplifies a complex regional issue and wrongly shifts attention away from China’s aggressive actions.
Red herrings
Some vloggers use distraction tactics—red herrings—to shift focus away from China’s illegal activities. These include justifying unofficial diplomatic gestures by former leaders or arguing that domestic issues like inflation should take priority over maritime disputes.
For this analysis, Philstar.com classified red herrings as statements diverting attention from China’s actions in the West Philippine Sea.
One common argument: the Philippines should focus on more urgent problems, such as the rising cost of goods, instead of defending its territorial rights.
What’s wrong with this claim? Addressing domestic issues is critical—but so is defending national sovereignty. Framing it as a choice between the two is a false dilemma. The government is obligated to pursue both.
Red herrings are designed to mislead, drawing attention away from central issues. Whether by minimizing China’s actions or changing the subject, such tactics obscure what is at stake: the Philippines’ maritime rights under both local and international law.
Consistent with state propaganda
Sociologist Alvin Camba, who has studied China’s transnational influence, said narratives involving fear-mongering and blaming the U.S. are common tools of Chinese state propaganda.
Camba explained that Chinese state media portrays the U.S. as the instigator of conflict, casting China as peaceful and merely reacting to Western provocation. Beijing also projects an image of strength by circulating clips of its infrastructure and technological advances—images that may appeal to Filipinos focused on practical concerns like transportation and food.
But that projection, Camba noted, is misleading. China’s economy has slowed significantly, with the country experiencing one of its steepest slumps in recent decades as of January.
“They overestimate the Chinese power. Basically, it's a big overestimation of Chinese power,” Camba said.
He added that many of these vloggers have limited understanding of the topics they cover, often misrepresenting or selectively elevating certain figures while dismissing others.
“They basically credential certain things, like they hype up the credentials of some people, and then they downplay other people's credentials. Number two is they misunderstand expertise...they pretend to understand it and they talk about it,” Camba said.
This selective approach allows vloggers to appear authoritative while pushing narratives that may not be grounded in fact. — With reports from Martin Ramos and Lea Devio
