The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Wednesday that the social media page reportedly recruiting Filipino soldiers and persons with military backgrounds has been shut down.
AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said this site has been taken down as of this moment. “It’s gone now,” he said in a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing, offering no other details as to how it was shut down.
She added that the AFP had started checking the veracity of reports claiming that active and retired military personnel have been recruited as part-time analysts for the social media page.
Reports also said that new recruits, once accepted, are tasked to write reports on military life and other hot military topics.
The site, at first glance, is reportedly associated with a US military advertising agency. Further inspection revealed, however, that the site leads to a domain name showing Chinese origin.
Prior to the shutting down of the social media site, Padilla said that they were able to secure “screenshots of those who have tried to apply online.”
The AFP, however, could not check the “private messages” sent by prospective applicants.
“But with the ‘screenshots’, as of this time, we are investigating whether we have involved personnel who managed to apply,” Padilla said.
The AFP spokesperson added that the military along with other concerned agencies are now tracking those behind the account and whether the individuals who applied for the job have divulged or leaked any sensitive information.
“So, we are considering this as a national security concern. It is actually a fusion of efforts between interagency, so we are cooperating with other agencies on this matter,” she noted.
Furthermore, Padilla said they have yet to detect AFP officers who have engaged with the social media page.
Asked about its possible objectives, Padilla said individuals behind the page might be trying to get “internal data from the Armed Forces.”
