The Senate may summon the Makati-based public relations firm supposedly hired by the Chinese embassy to spread pro-China propaganda on social media and influence public perception in favor of China, Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino said.

Tolentino, during a press briefing, confirmed the possibility of the Senate inviting InfinitUs Marketing Solutions, Inc.’s executives in the next hearing to shed light on their true operations.

“There is a chance for that,” said Tolentino, who is running for reelection in the upcoming May 2025 elections.

Tolentino, chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Admiralty and Maritime Zones, is leading the investigation on alleged Chinese espionage activities in the country.

The Senate panel actually invited the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) during last Thursday’s hearing, but the agency failed to send the proper representatives to help shed light on the corporate structure and other public disclosures of InfinitUs.

Meanwhile, Tolentino said InfinitUs’ official website and Facebook page went offline this weekend so there's not much information about the company online.

Asked whether Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian would be invited, Tolentino answered in the negative: “Ambassadors enjoy diplomatic immunity in their host country. We cannot summon them.”

But he called in Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo to summon Huang to explain the service contract between the Chinese embassy and InfinitUs, as well as the check issued by the former as initial payment.

“What better proof can we have to show that China is bankrolling a public relations campaign to undermine the Philippine government’s assertion amid the West Philippine Sea dispute?” the senator asked, referring to the documents, which he exposed during the hearing.

At the same time, Tolentino welcomed the statement issued by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) on Saturday “condemning the use of fake social media accounts to actively spread disinformation and attack supporters of the Philippines’ claims over the West Philippine Sea.”

The PRSP cited Tolentino’s revelation and stressed: “While our role is to uphold and strengthen the reputation of our clients and organizations, this is not to be done at the expense of societal good.”

“I thank leaders of the public relations community for making a strong stand against the use of deception to push the agenda of their clients, especially when it comes at the expense of undermining national interest,” Tolentino said in response to PRSP’s statement.