MANILA - Data of Facebook users in the Philippines was the second-highest collected by British political consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica, the social network said in a blog post Wednesday.

The Philippines accounts for almost 1.2 million of the 87 million people whose Facebook data "may have been improperly shared" with Cambridge Analytica, it said.

• Facebook says 87 million may be affected by data breach

News website Quartz said in a report that it obtained documents from 2013 claiming that Cambridge Analytica’s predecessor SCL (Strategic Communications Laboratories) helped rebrand a candidate in a national election in the Philippines.

It added that suspended Cambridge Analytica chief executive Alexander Nix visited the Philippines in 2015 for a "research trip."

The British firm is currently at the center of a data breach scandal for allegedly harvesting personal data linked to U.S. President Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

• Cambridge Analytica CEO claims influence on US election, Facebook questioned

Created in 2013, Cambridge Analytica markets itself as a source of consumer research, targeted advertising and other data-related services to both political and corporate clients.