The US Department of Defense has acknowledged, albeit not publicly, that it spread propaganda in the Philippines aimed at undermining China’s Sinovac vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic. This revelation, documented in a June 25 memo, was brought to light by a former top government official earlier this month. The disclosure was initially mentioned in a podcast by Harry Roque, former spokesman for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Reuters subsequently reviewed the confidential document and verified its contents with a knowledgeable source.
The Pentagon’s admission, contained in the memo, stated: “It is true that the Department of Defense communicated with Philippine audiences to cast doubt on the safety and efficacy of Sinovac.” The document referenced information exchanged between the US Defense Department and the Philippine Departments of Foreign Affairs and National Defense. While admitting to “missteps in our COVID-related messaging,” the Pentagon assured improved oversight and accountability of information operations since 2022. The June 25 document indicated that Pentagon officials deemed the anti-vaccine campaign “misaligned with our priorities.” The US military informed Filipino officials that operatives ceased COVID-related messaging in August 2021.
US Defense Department spokesman Pete Nguyen acknowledged the distribution of “social media content about the safety and efficacy of Sinovac” to Reuters, but did not confirm the specifics of the cited document. Firstpost could not independently verify the document.
At the start of the campaign, US national security officials were concerned that China was leveraging the pandemic to secure geopolitical deals and undermine US alliances by providing aid to the Philippines and other nations. Using defense contractors and non-military partners, the US deployed networks of online bots and fake social media accounts to influence foreign audiences. Reuters identified hundreds of fake accounts on X (formerly Twitter) matching descriptions from former US military officials familiar with the operation.
The US admission followed a June 14th Reuters investigation, which uncovered a covert Pentagon psychological operation aimed at discrediting Chinese vaccines and other COVID-related aid during 2020 and 2021. The revelation prompted the Philippine Senate Foreign Relations Committee to launch an inquiry and seek a formal response from the US. The Philippine Senate, led by Senator Imee Marcos, has commenced an investigation. Marcos condemned the US military campaign as “evil, wicked, dangerous, unethical,” questioning its legality and potential recourse for the Philippines.
The clandestine operation extended beyond the Philippines, targeting countries in Central Asia, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia in 2020 and 2021. Many of these nations relied heavily on Sinovac to combat the deadly virus. The Philippines, particularly hard-hit by COVID-19, saw nearly 67,000 fatalities and over 4 million infections by 2024, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) data.
