Philstar.com exposes pro-Duterte vloggers who spread pro-China views on WPS issue

CHEERS TO Philstar.com for its analytical report on Filipino vloggers who, as supporters of Rodrigo Duterte, continue to push the false narratives that Duterte promoted during his presidency.  These echo the “defeatist” stance that Duterte expressed then, claiming the country could not fight back nor do anything about China’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). 

The article identified several pro-Duterte vloggers who are actively promoting “China-aligned” narratives, monetizing their content amid China’s continued harassment of Philippine vessels in Philippine waters. Philstar.com notes that their videos have gained thousands of views.

Tracing the influence

Philstar.com discussed the impact of Duterte’s defeatist position on the WPS, which gained traction among his supporters, many of whom have continued to express these views even after Duterte’s exit from office. 

The report focused on six vloggers, highlighting that each have at least 86,000 followers each on their You Tube channels: Boss Dada, Banat By, Bisdak Pilipinas, Pambansang Loyal, Coach Oli, and Brother’s Travellers.  Philstar.com reviewed five YouTube videos on the WPS posted by each of the six between 2023 and 2024.

Common patterns 

The report highlighted the strategies used by the content creators in their pro-China campaign as follows: 

1. Fear-mongering. Describing Philippine defense efforts as potentially provocative of actual conflict, even war; 
2. Deflection. Blaming the US for goading the Philippines into conflict with China and; 
3. Red herring. The Philippines has more urgent issues to address, and it should concentrate on these problems, such as the high cost of living. 

The report directly refutes each of these patterns, exposing the falsehood with evidence, and presenting the record and the reality of Philippine efforts to secure its national sovereignty. 

Philstar.com interviewed Alvin Camba, a sociologist who has studied China’s transnational influence.  Camba said fear-mongering and blaming the U.S. are sentiments also carried by the Chinese state media, which also paint China as a peaceful nation and the U.S. as an agitator of conflict.  He criticized pro-Duterte vloggers directly as lacking any real understanding of the topics they discuss. 

Philstar.com has called public attention to an activity that directly attacks   Philippine national interest and sovereign claims, using manufactured messages based on falsehood and lies. 

Such disinformation deepens the lines that have divided the national community under Duterte’s leadership. Still reeling from his threats, his calls for violence and for the killing of Filipino civilians, Filipinos have yet to rebuild the ties that unify them as a country and a people. 

The vloggers who favor China against their own country should be exposed for what they are. Their speech spreads dangerous notions that could weaken the public will to resist foreign aggression. 

It is urgent to counter the lies on the digital field where these vloggers have become paid mercenaries. Netizens must coordinate efforts to correct these lies. As China continues to attack and harass Philippine vessels and fisherfolk, ordinary Filipinos must do what they can to fight the digital battle for hearts and minds.