A LAWMAKER from Mindanao has urged his colleagues at the Lower House to continue to probe deeper into the alleged anomalous activities of what appears to be a “China-created, China Embassy-funded and Chinese-manned” public relations firm that hired Filipino “keyboard warriors’ to embark on an orchestrated campaign against so-called “anti-China personalities and politicians” and the country’s policies in the West Philippine Sea.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, a member of the House Tri Committee investigating local and foreign purveyors of fake news in the country, said that based on initial documents and evidences gathered, the activities of the PR firm Infinitus Marketing Solutions, Inc., constitutes a great threat to the country’s interests and security, amid the on-going dispute at the WPS.
“We still don’t know the extent of the past and present activities done by Infinitus. But it is clear that it has documented ties with the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China. I demand that an urgent and thorough probe be done by this committee on this particular PR firm,” Barbers said during his presentation of Infinitus documents during Tricom’s hearing on Thursday held at the House’s People’s Center.
“I demand that this panel exercise its full authority to probe and hold accountable all persons complicit in this scheme, particularly those Chinese and Filipino key board warriors paid for by a foreign entity to launch a disinformation campaign that undermines the country’s interests and security,” he added.
Barbers, also chairman of the House Dangerous Drugs Committee and Quad Committee, said Tricom should tap and seek the assistance of the various government regulatory agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to dissect Infinitus’ various sources of funding, its hiring of key board warriors and creation of “troll farms” out to spread false narratives and fake news against the country’s foreign policies, the issue on the WPS, and avoidance of tax payments, among others.
He said Infinitus, aside from being incorporated by three Chinese nationals and three presumably dummy Filipinos, has signed a service agreement with the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, particularly with its PR man Wu Chenqi, to hire local keyboard warriors and tasked them to create and spread fake news and pro-China propaganda and narratives.
Said “service agreement” calls for “issue management projects” which could simply be interpreted as a deliberate and aggressive effort to shape or come up with pro-China propaganda and narratives using various social media platforms online, Barbers said.
The Mindanaoan lawmaker also debunked claims of one of Infinitus officer during a Senate hearing.
The Mindanaoan lawmaker also debunked claims of one of Infinitus officer during a Senate hearing two weeks prior to the May 12, 2025 elections held by Sen. Francis Tolentino that the copy of the service agreement between China Embassy and Infinitus was fake.
But in his slide presentation during Tricom’s hearing last Thursday, Barbers produced copies of Infinitus’ SEC registration papers, financial statements, etc, that indeed there one of the PR firm’s officers identified as Myka Isabel Pynton signed the deal between China embassy and Infinitus.
Myka Isabel Poynton – who acted as Infinitus’s director for marketing, treasurer, corporate secretary and board member “all rolled into one” – and Mr. Wu Chenqi, China Embassy director for public relations signed the service agreement.
“This is not a simple partnership. From all indications, nililoko na tayo ng mga ito,” Barbers stressed.
Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez, Tricom chairman, said that based on documents secured from the Senate and other sources, Infinitus and its benefactor produces regular monthly task of coming up with a line-up of local and foreign issues with which they can ride on with their fake news and narratives.
