THE investigative report by Reuters titled “Pentagon ran secret anti-vax campaign to Undermine China during pandemic” became a topic of discussion on social media, saying that America created propaganda during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic to scare people away from getting vaccines from China.
In the Philippines, the US Pentagon reportedly used 300 fake Tagalog accounts on X (formerly Twitter) for their disinformation campaign.
Allegedly, their anti-vax campaign started in2020, spreading it across Southeast Asia before halting it in mid-2021.
The Department of Health emphasizes that this matter should be investigated not only in the Philippines but also in other countries.
“The findings by Reuters deserve to be investigated and heard by the appropriate authorities of the involved countries,” Department of Health said.
It was recalled that vaccine hesitancy among Filipinos posed a challenge to the country, reaching a point where, according to reports, Former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte had to resort to scaring Filipinos into getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
To note the first vaccine to arrive in the country was Sinovac, donated by China to the Philippines.
According to former Presidential Spokesperson Atty. Harry Roque, such news was infuriating, especially since they struggled to acquire vaccines other than Sinovac.
“I was extremely angry when I found out about that. It was very difficult at that time to convince our fellow Filipinos to get vaccinated, especially when Sinovac was the only option available. Partner Admar, truth be told, who wouldn’t prefer Moderna or Pfizer? But the reality is that wealthy countries withheld their vaccines until they secured their own populations, and China was the only one who gave us Sinovac. It has been proven that Sinovac is no different from other vaccines in saving lives from COVID,” Atty. Harry Roque, Former Palace Spokesperson stated.
According to Roque, Filipinos must read and understand the report released by Reuters.
Many Filipinos died from COVID-19 due to America’s anti-vaccine campaign
The Palace spokesperson stated that it appears Americans truly have no concern for the welfare of Filipinos.
He is certain that many Filipinos died from COVID-19 due to this disinformation campaign orchestrated by America, which he finds unacceptable.
Data shows that 66,864 Filipinos have lost their lives due to the COVID-19.
“They allowed Filipinos to die just to discredit China, while they themselves withheld their vaccines because they prioritized their own citizens.”
“I am certain that Americans have blood on their hands because many lives were lost due to the fear they spread about Sinovac. If they hadn’t spread that fear, we could have saved more lives and they might still be alive today.”
“This is a crime against the Filipino nation. It’s unacceptable. We cannot forgive them. Because those who died, we cannot bring back to life. And until now, after that report came out, the Pentagon even confirmed it and they do not regret it because they believe it’s necessary to destroy China,” added Roque.
U.S. disinformation campaign targets West Philippine Sea post-vaccine
Roque also mentioned that now that the COVID-19 pandemic is over, America’s disinformation campaign is now focused on the West Philippine Sea to discredit China.
“Their constant narrative now is that there is no room for peaceful dialogue, they are urging us to go to war. That is their line now. If before, they feared China-made vaccines because they were dangerous, now they want us to be angry at China because they are our enemies. But this is contrary to our history, because historically, we have never had any conflict or war with China.”
“The disinformation they are spreading claims that America will save us from China’s threat, but in reality, there is no threat from China,” he concluded.
Roque also believes that the reported disinformation campaign by America should be thoroughly investigated.
