Of all the disinformation thrown Commodore Jay Tarriela’s way, nothing has annoyed him more than this: that he’s a CIA agent.

That insidious jab—thrown by a troll on social media soon after the Philippine Coast Guard officer completed his fellowship in Washington, D.C. in 2023—still stings to this day. “For me personally, I think the worst—and the worst in a way that it’s hard to believe and at the same time humorous—is that I’m part of the CIA,’’ he told CoverStory in an interview at his office in Manila, shaking his head.  

Amid the Philippines’ roiling sea dispute with China, Tarriela is often seen and heard in the multimedia to explain the latest incidence of the China Coast Guard’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea, and on social media to counter disinformation against the government.

On paper, he’s the Coast Guard’s spokesperson on West Philippine Sea concerns. Not surprisingly, he often finds himself the target of attacks especially on X (formerly Twitter), Meta (formerly Facebook), YouTube and TikTok, where toe-to-toe battles on disinformation are being fiercely waged, and in the crosshairs of pro-China vloggers, influencers, columnists and, yes, politicians.

Marcoleta’s ‘disservice’ 

“I think the worst narrative when it comes to the West Philippine Sea is that kind of narrative,’’ Tarriela said, referring to Sagip Party list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta’s claim that “there’s no such thing as the West Philippine Sea.” 

Marcoleta reaped online backlash for his remark at a hearing of the House of Representatives on Feb. 4, and was riled in particular by Tarriela’s tweet on the same day that read: “Hearing someone claim that the ‘West Philippine Sea’ is merely a fabrication of the Philippine government is a disservice and an embarrassment to their entire party, the organization they belong to, and even their own family.”

This came to a head at a House committee hearing on the proliferation of fake news on social media on Feb. 18, when Marcoleta called out Tarriela, who was serving as a resource person, for supposedly labeling him a traitor on X. 

The commodore held his ground, denied ever calling the lawmaker such, and pointed out that he was merely echoing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who said: “The West Philippine Sea is not a figment of our imagination. It is ours. It will continue to be ours as long as our spirit continues to burn for our beloved country.”

But the congressman pressed on and asked Tarriela why he did not clarify his “traitor” remark. Tarriela retorted that he was not “under any obligation to tell all social media influencers or bloggers to defend your name” because he did not call Marcoleta, who is running for senator in the May 12 national elections, a traitor in the first place.

Marcoleta later backpedaled on his claim and said he meant that the sea is not depicted in international maps. 

In September 2012, then President Benigno Aquino III signed an administrative order renaming South China Sea waters within the country’s 730-kilometer exclusive economic zone as the West Philippine Sea.  

“It’s an eye-opener for everyone, especially to all the politicians, that the West Philippine Sea is not something you can use as a vehicle for you to make yourself popular,’’ Tarriela said of his encounter with Marcoleta. “And even if you’re going to use it as a political vehicle for you to be widely known, you have to be very careful in framing your narrative.” 

Part of the debate 

That’s why, Tarriela said, Filipino voters should vet a candidate based on his or her stand on the West Philippine Sea or his or her support for China. “The West Philippine Sea should be part of the debate, and that should be one of the parameters of Filipino voters in identifying a member of the House or even the Senate,’’ he said.

According to Tarriela, electing the right candidates for the Senate and the House is crucial to the approval of future visiting forces agreements with other countries, and the modernization of the Coast Guard and the military.

“If there will be an instance that our lawmakers are not supportive of our fight, we might end up not getting funds to at least…buy fuel for our vessels, buy aircraft or vessels for the Coast Guard, and even not to support the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,’’ he said.

In the end, he added, Filipinos have the choice of two options: to counter disinformation or to “deliver patriotic votes” for candidates supportive of the government policy on the West Philippine Sea. 

A Pulse Asia survey in October 2024 showed that seven out of 10 Filipinos would not support pro-China candidates in the midterm elections.  

Of the five patterns of disinformation concerning the West Philippine Sea, Tarriela said, the lie that the conflict would escalate into a war seems to have gained the most traction on social media and elicited the most questions in public forums.

“If you’re going to look at the trolls, the pro-China trolls, they would say that the decision of President Bongbong Marcos to stand up for sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea would eventually lead to war,” Tarriela said.

He said it has been effective in the sense that it has garnered “many heart emoticons” on social media and stirred much buzz at forums in universities.    

He said more people are convinced of this lie “because this can be traced back to the statement of the former President [Rodrigo] Duterte—that the reason why he will not be firm about his strategy in the West Philippine Sea is because he wants to spare the lives of a lot of soldiers and it would only take days before we’re going to be totally invaded by China.’’ 

So far, nearly three years into the Marcos Jr. administration, “there is no danger whatsoever about an armed attack or invasion,’’ the commodore said.

During his term, Duterte cozied up to China in exchange for a raft of mostly undelivered investment promises. After his election in 2022, President Marcos Jr. pivoted back to the United States, granting it more access to Philippine military bases under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.

Currently, the Coast Guard and Navy often speak to the press about the harassment of Philippine ships, crews and fishers, and allow journalists to report on resupply missions to outposts, as part of the government transparency on China’s aggression at sea.

Countering the trolls

Tarriela categorized trolls into three groups: “soulless” characters; fanatics; and former government employees, who are identified and number less than 50. 

“I would argue, even without naming names, that these people’s motivation is not actually the Philippine interest,’’ he said.

So how does he counter the trolls in China’s growing “influence operations”?

Said Tarriela: “National Security Adviser Eduardo Año was asked one time, ‘How are we going to counter fake news or disinformation?’ And he responded in a simple way. He said, ‘You just have to keep on telling the truth.’ No amount of lies can counter the factual narrative.’’ 

But who’s winning the war?

Tarriela finds comfort in the results of the Octa Research survey in January that showed eight out of 10 Filipinos supporting the national government’s efforts to defend and assert maritime rights in the West Philippine Sea.

“That’s why the transparency effort is being supported by President Bongbong Marcos and this administration. It’s because the moment we keep silent about the issue in the West Philippine Sea, the misinformation will propagate and China will win with this battle of narratives,” Tarriela said.