Influencers on TikTok covered the recent “Christmas convoy” of vessels at the West Philippine Sea that had to turn back to Palawan after they were shadowed and water-cannoned by Chinese vessels.
The issue drew all sorts of narratives – some were somewhat neutral or merely repurposed video clips of mainstream Philippine news media, while others were decidedly pro-China. A number of accounts were critical of Chinese actions.
Caleb McMurtrey, who analyzes international affairs and defense, highlighted the fact that the Philippine military chief, Gen. Romeo Brawner, was on one of the vessels harassed by the Chinese as it attempted to proceed to Ayungin Shoal to resupply the grounded BRP Sierra Madre.
This, he pointed out, showed how aggressive China could get in its bid to control the disputed waters.
Tony New, in a video watched by nearly 168,000 users, played a one-minute clip from GMA News showing the water cannon incident, but without commentary.
GoodNewsPH also repurposed some video clips without commentary but carried captions that conveyed an anti-China position.
In one video, however, it claimed that the Philippines has gathered a growing list of allies willing to help it protect its territory, such as Canada and Australia.
Filipino influencers like Dragonboi Bisaya linked the issue to their anti-Marcos stance.
Dragonboi Bisaya made light of the water cannon incident, saying it gave the passengers an opportunity to take a shower, when in fact the engines of M/L Kalayaan suffered serious damage as a result.
Dragonboi Bisaya also made a false comparison by claiming that China disrespected President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. while his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, had been given red carpet treatment by Beijing.
This small sampling of short video content following the Christmas convoy incident shows how TikTok continues to be battleground of competing narratives on the West Philippine Sea dispute. – Felipe F. Salvosa II
This report was made possible by an Internews project to build the capacity of news organizations in understanding disinformation and influence operations in the Philippines.
The post ALERT: TikTok influencers cover Christmas convoy at West PH Sea appeared first on #PressOnePH.
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