In 1986, Corazon Aquino was chosen as Time magazine’s Woman of the Year for helping lead hundreds of thousands in the peaceful People Power Revolution that swept her to power. She breathed a message of hope in the global scenario as she restored press freedom and other democratic institutions in the Philippines after decades of totalitarian rule. In the years that followed, her revolution would inspire a chain of events that would see the fall of communism in many other nations.
During the martial law years, Cory, as she was popularly called, went through a terrible ordeal with her family when her husband Ninoy was incarcerated and later assassinated. Soon after that tragedy, she became the symbolic figurehead of the Opposition, leading protest rallies which called for reform and change. Although at first reluctant to enter the political arena, she accepted the challenge of running against Marcos when the latter declared a snap election. With the convergence of elements like the influential Cardinal Sin, the ailing dictator, a disgruntled military, and the Filipino people outraged by decades of injustice and oppression, she emerged victorious and re-established democracy in the Philippines.
Fast forward to 2018, 32 years later. Alongside other beleaguered journalists, another Filipina was chosen as the same newsmagazine’s Person of the Year: Maria Ressa. However, unlike Cory Aquino, Maria Ressa’s is a curious case and not as much celebrated in the Philippines. Since 2017, several legal cases have been filed by various government agencies against her and her associates in online news website Rappler; these cases are collectively considered by The Guardian and Reporters Without Borders as “judicial harassment.” While reaping so many accolades outside her nation, unfortunately, she is seen by many in our country simply as a “troublemaker.” Ressa’s struggle for truth is not an easy one, for the powers-that-be are intolerant of all opposition.
Ressa insists that social media is being used to destroy democratic states and institutions. True enough, the regulation of content on social media sites still leaves much to be desired. More often than not, newsfeeds are full of posts that denigrate human rights and justice. For the past few years, she has warned of the rise of populist rulers who don’t care about human rights and freedom of expression. Furthermore, we have seen a proliferation of Facebook posts and YouTube videos glorifying the martial law years and downgrading the 1986 People Power Revolution.
It’s sad how fake news has gained the upper hand. There are but a few real guardians and gatekeepers of inalienable rights in news agencies that edit and check if the principles in a media outlet are true to the facts and values enshrined in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Many Filipinos have fallen into the trap of fake news for we see historical revisionism happening in the Philippine mindset. This is quite alarming as we see social media weaponized to manipulate what we adhere to and believe in. Ressa affirms what is happening in social media using a quote of Nazi propaganda minister Goebbels: “[A] lie told a thousand times becomes the truth.” Because of poverty and a lack of critical thinking, the Philippines has become quite volatile, and people are vulnerable to such influence and have fallen prey to it. But we have to thank Ressa and many critically-minded Filipinos who are holding the line and continuing to stand for truth. We also have to thank various international organizations that are not only watchdogs to increase accountability in the government but also ensure that human rights and press freedom are respected in our nation.
Now is a critical time to support more guardians of truth in the world of media for the future of our nation and the world in general. Maybe it’s time for a different kind of “People Power.” More than being critical and fact-checking every news item, we must constantly share stories of hope, believing that truth and goodness will have the final word. For as Saint Augustine once said, “The truth is like a lion. You don’t have to defend it. Let it loose. It will defend itself.”
