The Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial slate in Pangasinan. From left to right: Erwin Tulfo, Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, Benhur Abalos, Abby Binay, Tito Sotto, Francis Tolentino (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)

DAGUPAN CITY, Pangasinan--Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial candidates are leaving it up to Filipino voters whether or not they want a "China-controlled" Congress.

The administration bets leaned heavily on the Philippin-China geopolitical clash as they made their respective appeals to voters just over two weeks before the conduct of the May 12 mid-term elections.

In a press conference Friday, April 25, ACT-CIS Rep. Erwin Tulfo said that China was seeking to seize control of the Congress in the May polls through pro-China candidates.

The senatorial frontrunner says that foreign interference is real and coordinated, and aims to install a legislature that would follow Beijing’s agenda and weaken Philippine sovereignty.

“Obviously, ang lumalabas, parang gusto ng China ay (Obviously, it appears that China wants a) Chinese-controlled Senate, Chinese-controlled House of Representatives,” Tulfo said.

“Kaya nasa kamay po ng tao, ng Pilipino, ng mga botante natin (That's why it's in the hands of the people, of the Filipinos, of the voters). If you want a Chinese-controlled Senate and House of Representatives, then alam niyo na ho (then you already know) what’s going to happen,” he warned.

Tulfo said the Chinese campaign goes beyond disinformation and delves into espionage, surveillance, and psychological operations.

While the Philippines is focused on Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), he said the real danger is unfolding within the country’s own institutions.

“It’s part of their campaign to keep our attention on the [WPS], pero hindi natin napapansin na may ibang operasyon na pala silang ginagawa. Lucky enough, lumutang itong espionage na ito. So talagang halatang-halata that they really want to control this country,” Tulfo said.

(We're failing to notice that they're conducting different operations. Lucky enough, this espionage issue emerged. So it's really obvious that they really want to control this country.)

Pro-Philippines slate

Former Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary Benhur Abalos assured the public that the 11-member Alyansa Senate slate stands united in defending the country’s sovereignty.

“Malinaw sa lahat na ang team ng Alyansa ay pro-Philippines. Importante ang sovereignty—ang soberenya ng Pilipinas. Kaya nga importante sa mga nakikinig ngayon, pakinggan niyo maigi ang plataporma ng Alyansa. Lahat po ito ay pro-Philippines,” he said.

(It's clear to everyone that the Alyansa team is pro-Philippines. Sovereignty is important--Philippine sovereignty. That's why it's important for all those listening right now, listen closely to Alyansa's platform. There are all pro-Philippines.)

In the same presser, Senate Majority Leader Francis “Tol” Tolentino revealed documents linking the Chinese Embassy to covert operations, including the hiring of "troll farms" through Makati City-based firm InfinitUs Marketing Solutions. The firm helped Beijing spread its skewed narrative on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) among Filipinos.

He cited intelligence showing that orders from Beijing being funneled through the local embassy and amplified online by fake Filipino profiles.

'Scarier than we think'

Former senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, who once headed the Philippine National Police (PNP), warned that the scale of the interference was deeper than many realize.

He cited reports of Chinese nationals caught conducting surveillance around Malacañang, Camp Aguinaldo, and other critical facilities.

“Yes, it’s actually scarier than we think,” Lacson said, adding that Filipinos must "look beyond this election".

Aside from the espionage allegations, Lacson also cited cyberattacks on several government agencies, including the Office of the President (OP) and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA).

He urged the government to reinforce cybersecurity systems and consider enlisting experts from the private sector.

“Kailangan ‘yung firewall natin medyo tingnan nating mabuti (We should check on the integrity of our firewall),” he said.