PHILIPPINE congressmen on Thursday sought the swift passage of a bill that seeks to curb disinformation on social media, noting that false narratives are being used to challenge the country’s claims in the South China Sea.

The government should crack down on the spread of these false narratives, which constitute foreign interference, Sta. Rosa City Rep. Dan S. Fernandez said in a statement.

“They use false information to deceive our minds, distort history and undermine our legitimate rights to our own seas,” he said in Filipino. “This propaganda aims to weaken our resolve, divide public opinion and normalize [China’s] illegal presence in our waters.”

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to a Viber message seeking comment.

The Philippine Coast Guard in April said it had seen an uptick in disinformation campaigns targeting the country’s claims in the South China Sea.

China claims nearly all of the potentially mineral- and oil-rich South China Sea based on a 1940s nine-dash line map that overlaps with the exclusive waters of the Philippines and neighbors like Vietnam and Malaysia.

A United Nations-backed tribunal in 2016 voided China’s sweeping claims for being illegal, a ruling that Beijing does not recognize.

“There is an urgent need for legislation to steer the wheel towards a lasting and responsive solution to this problem,” Agusan del Norte Rep. Jose S. Aquino II said in the same statement.

Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez last week filed a bill criminalizing the deliberate sharing of false information, including claims that are meant to undermine public order and national security.

Anyone caught maliciously publishing false information and operating troll farms could face up to 12 years in prison and a P500,000 to P2 -million fine under House Bill No. 11506.

“We also have to ensure that those who deliberately spread falsehoods are held accountable under the law,” Mr. Aquino said.

National Security Council Assistant Director-General Jonathan E. Malaya in April said “Chinese state-sponsored” might be spreading false information to help the campaign of some pro-China political candidates.

“We are now in the midst of an active cognitive war — an insidious battle for the hearts and minds of the Filipino people,” Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace S. Barbers said in a separate statement. “This war is not fought with weapons, but with misinformation, manipulation and psychological influence.”

“The just concluded elections were a big part of this battlefield, with efforts deliberately intended to sway voters into supporting candidates aligned with foreign interests, particularly China,” he added. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio