China’s high stakes and deepfakes in the Philippines | The Strategist

China is conducting the campaign amid a high-stakes standoff with the Philippines over claims in the South China Sea .

ASPI has identified a network of coordinated inauthentic accounts across X and YouTube amplifying the video.

The deepfake video marks the latest salvo in a persistent online smear campaign targeting Marcos and his policies this year .

The version of the deepfake video uploaded to X appears to be a screen recording of Contreras ’s 22 July live stream on her Boldyak TV YouTube Channel .

Almost all the accounts on X and YouTube were created in 2024 and were active only during Beijing business hours from 9:19 a.m. to just before 4 p.m. , with less activity.

Maisug means brave, strong, fearless’ in Cebuano language, which is spoken in Visayas in the centre of the Philippines archipelago.

The leaders of the movement include former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque and former Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Jun ’ Evasco Jr , who was a former top leader in the New People’s Army , the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippine Communist Party .

POGOs were providing funds to rallies through networks of Michael Yang , a former economic advisor to President Rodrigo Roque .