Alyansa bets warn Beijing wants ‘pro-China’ Senate in 2025

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Administration Senate bets Francis Tolentino and Erwin Tulfo warn voters weeks before election day: Choose well or you’ll have a ‘Chinese-controlled Senate, House of Representatives’

MANILA, Philippines — Senate bets of the administration’s Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas claimed that Beijing had plans of “controlling” Philippine politics through Congress in the 2025 elections. 

“Pinakialaman tayo ng China at papunta doon sa tanong mo, pati itong eleksyon na ito. Pati itong 2025 elections gusto nila ang nakaupo ay pro-China senators na mayorya,” said reelectionist Senator Francis Tolentino on Friday, April 25, in a press briefing ahead of a campaign rally in Dagupan, Pangasinan. 

(China is meddling, and going to your question, even in this election. In 2025, they want pro-China senators to be in the majority.) 

He did not name who the “pro-China” senators or Senate bets were but was apparently referring to candidates allied with the camp of former president Rodrigo Duterte, who had tried to pivot the Philippines to China during his term.

The day prior, Tolentino led a Senate probe where he alleged that the Chinese embassy in Manila had contracted a local marketing firm to push Beijing’s propaganda on Philippine social media.

In the same probe, civilian security officials claimed there were “indications” that Chinese state-sponsored information influence operations were trying to sway the results of the upcoming May 12 elections. 

Tolentino accused China and its embassy in Manila of being behind efforts to undermine Marcos and other government agencies and officials, such as: 

• When the Maritime Zones Act was signed into law. “Umulan na po ng batikos, umulan na ng batikos sa akin. Siguro sa akin daang libo ‘yung negatives, sa Presidente at sa lahat,” said Tolentino. (I was inundated with criticism. Maybe hundreds of thousands of these comments against me, against the President, against everyone.) 
• On November 26, 2024, when Tolentino said Marcos was “attacked” through “trolls.” “‘Yong mga nakakita nito maniniwala, si Presidente bababa talaga ang survey (If people see those posts and believe it, then the President’s survey numbers will really go down),” said the senator. 
• The week the government announced a pilot P20/kilo rice program in the Visayas. “Binaba nang P20 ‘yong bigas, may order na naman na ganito, banatan ‘yang mga bigas na ‘yan (The price of rice was brought down to P20, and now there’s an order, criticize that move),” said Tolentino.  

Tolentino then cited alleged espionage activities across the country that Philippine security and law enforcement officials had earlier flagged to have Chinese connections. 

“Maliwanag ito, coordinated lahat, maliwanag po ito iisa ang nagkukumpas, iisa ang baston. Maliwanag po ito, iisa ang direksyon pahinain ang Pilipinas,” said Tolentino. (It’s clear that it’s coordinated — someone is orchestrating this. It’s very clear, the direction is to weaken the Philippines.) 

ACT-CIS Representative Erwin Tulfo, among the Alyansa bets who has topped voters’ preference surveys, said it was “obvious” that China wanted a “Chinese-controlled Senate, Chinese-controlled House of Representatives.” 

“So talagang halatang-halata that they really want to control this country. Siguro pagkatapos nito sa Senate and then sa Congress. So it’s up to us, it’s up to our people kung gusto nating mangyari ito na we have a Chinese-controlled Senate and House of Representatives controlled by China,” said Tulfo. 

(It’s very obvious that they want to control this country. Maybe after the Senate, they’ll want to control Congress. So it’s up to us, it’s up to our people if they want this to happen, to have a Chinese-controlled Senate and House of Representatives controlled by China.) 

Former senator Ping Lacson, a retired cop who used to work in the intelligence sector, said the situation was “scarier than we think.” 

Lacson said that it goes beyond 2025, as he “urged” the intelligence community to also tap the services of the private sector to improve the country’s information integrity. 

Security, law enforcement, and intelligence personnel in the Philippines has long raised flags over instances of disinformation and influence operations in the Philippine with links to China or Chinese networks. 

Since January 2025, Philippine law enforcement has been publicizing the arrest of individuals, including Chinese nationals, over espionage allegations. 

The bilateral relationship between the Philippines and China have turned tense in the past few years, as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has made it state policy to assert the Philippines’ rights, entitlements, and claims in the West Philippine Sea. 

It’s a stark contrast to how Manila dealt with Beijing under the administration of Rodrigo Duterte, who wanted a pivot to China. 

Duterte, whose daughter Vice President Sara Duterte was once an ally of Marcos, is now detained in The Hague where he awaits trial over crimes against humanity charges related to his bloody drug war. – Rappler.com