This photo shows former President Rodrigo Duterte and Davao del Norte 1st District Representative Pantaleon Alvarez.
Graphic design by Philstar.com/Anjilica Andaya
This report forms part of Philstar.com’s coverage of influence operations, which involve the spread of false information and propaganda that can mislead, cause confusion and prevent informed understanding and discourse. Read our explainer on influence operations.
The call to secede Mindanao triggered not just a flurry of controversy among Filipinos. It also fed a coordinated campaign by Chinese social media users to spread rumors of a supposed civil war in the Philippines caused by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s “provocations.”