MANILA, Philippines — Military indicators point to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or its proxies as possibly having a hand in the circulation of a fake letter purportedly signed by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., an Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) official said on Wednesday.
AFP spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad (Reserve) made the assessment when asked whether the military had detected a Chinese footprint behind the document, but acknowledged that he had neither seen the letter itself nor an official investigative report on the matter.
“I don’t have the letter itself. I haven’t seen any official report on that,” Trinidad said in a Zoom briefing.
READ: DND seeks NBI probe into fake. Teodoro letter on Ayungin Shoal
“But we don’t have to look far. Who stands to benefit if this comes out, Filipinos turn against each other, the reputation of our defense secretary is damaged and the alliance with the United States is discredited?” he said in a mix of Filipino and English.
Trinidad said the military looks at indicators in making security assessments, distinguishing this from the evidentiary standard required in law enforcement investigations.
“As I have said many times, while law enforcement looks for evidence beyond reasonable doubt, the military looks at indicators,” he said.“And these indicators point to moves by the Chinese Communist Party or its proxies—which sometimes include Filipinos,” he added.
The two-page letter, which bore what appeared to be Teodoro’s signature, purportedly claimed that the defense chief had approved an operation at Ayungin (Second Thomas) on July 20 intended to expose Chinese actions ahead of the 59th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
It also contained claims about Philippine domestic politics and the country’s alliance with the United States, including a purported commitment by Teodoro to maintain support for the alliance regardless of changes in the domestic political climate.
The Department of National Defense (DND) on Tuesday disowned the letter, supposedly addressed to a certain Peter Enzminger, and referred the matter to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
READ: China accuses PH of trespassing in Ayungin Shoal
DND spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arsenio Andolong said the document and its contents were “obviously and absolutely false and fake.”
The DND alleged that the circulation of the letter was part of a foreign interference and malign influence campaign intended to discredit the Philippine government and undermine its efforts to assert the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Trinidad described the use of fabricated correspondence to sow intrigue as an old tactic and said the document appeared intended, among other things, to undermine public confidence in the Philippines’ alliance with the United States.
“The stronger the alliance, the stronger the deterrence,” he said.
Trinidad also warned that similar attempts could emerge through other forms of manipulated or fabricated content.
“More of those will come out. There will be deepfakes coming out. There will be fake stories. There will be pictures coming out alluding to different scenarios that will further advance their interest,” he said.
The fake letter surfaced amid heightened tensions in the West Philippine Sea following a series of confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels.
Last week, the military aborted a rotation and resupply mission to BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal after Chinese coast guard and naval vessels approached the Philippine convoy.
The mission was intended to bring supplies and rotate troops stationed aboard the grounded warship, which has served as the Philippines’ military outpost at Ayungin since 1999.
Trinidad separately said the AFP expects foreign information manipulation and interference to persist through 2028, saying such operations seek not only to push particular narratives but also to erode public trust and sow confusion.
He said undermining trust in the government and national institutions could weaken the country’s ability to respond collectively to external challenges.
The NBI investigation into the fake document remains pending, and Trinidad said he had not seen an official investigative report establishing who produced or circulated it.
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