LA UNION Rep. Paolo Ortega on Monday urged Filipinos to remain vigilant during the upcoming midterm elections, saying China’s claim over Palawan, combined with mounting evidence that Beijing is funding certain candidates, poses a direct threat to the country.
Voting for pro-China candidates is akin to handing over national interests to foreign powers, Ortega stressed.
“China started with the West Philippine Sea. Now, they are saying they own Palawan. Let’s see — if there are candidates with funds from China, what interest will they protect? Our people or the ones who funded them?” Ortega said.
In recent months, Chinese social media platforms have been flooded with videos and posts falsely claiming that Palawan belongs to China.
The internet posts, carried by WeChat, Douyin, and Weibo, use misleading maps and fabricated historical texts suggesting that Palawan was once part of Chinese territory.
Some even feature digitally altered images of Palawan with Chinese flags, subtly conditioning both Chinese citizens and Filipinos to accept the falsehood that the province is not part of the Philippines.
This tactic mirrors China’s previous disinformation campaigns in the South China Sea which helped justify its construction of military bases on artificial islands within Philippine waters.
Analysts warned that such narratives aim to normalize the idea of Chinese sovereignty over Palawan, laying the groundwork for future claims.
Intelligence sources have also raised concerns that these narratives are not confined to Chinese audiences, but are being strategically planted in Philippine digital spaces through proxy accounts and paid influencers.
“They used to claim Scarborough Shoal as theirs. Later, they built a base in the West Philippine Sea. Now, they are targeting Palawan. And if we are not critical, we might just wake up one day, there are Chinese structures there,” Ortega said.
He emphasized that China’s claim over Palawan has no historical or legal basis.
Apart from being the largest province of the Philippines in terms of land area, archaeological discoveries in the Tabon Caves, one of the most significant prehistoric sites in Southeast Asia, prove that Palawan has been inhabited for over 50,000 years.
The remains and artifacts discovered in the Tabon Caves represent some of the earliest evidence of human civilization in the Philippines.
Experts suggest these remains are direct ancestors of the Tagbanwa, one of the country’s oldest indigenous groups, who have preserved their unique culture in Palawan for centuries despite colonization.
Antonio Pigafetta, the chronicler of Magellan’s expedition, documented that Palawan’s native communities were self-sufficient farmers and traders, with no ties to China. The islanders formed their own political and economic structures long before foreign influences arrived.
Ortega warned that China’s assertion over Palawan is part of a broader strategy to expand its influence—not just through military force but through political and economic leverage.
Over the past decade, Beijing has built military outposts in the West Philippine Sea despite an international ruling rejecting its claims. Now, China appears to be shifting tactics by backing candidates who would advance its interests from within the Philippine government.
“Our question now is: how are they able to strengthen their influence in our country? Not just by ships at sea—but by election. The tool is no longer guns, but money, propaganda, and deception,” Ortega noted.
Investigations into China’s influence operations revealed that Beijing was actively working to shape public opinion through disinformation campaigns. Digital analysts have tracked coordinated efforts by Chinese-linked groups to manipulate social media discussions, discredit anti-China officials and amplify content that favors Beijing. These tactics aim to sway voter sentiment, making it easier for pro-China candidates to secure government positions, Ortega said.