A university president said in a gathering that the progress of countries continues despite the problem of understanding the true state of the world. He said there are narratives that confuse the people. He considered fake news, dis/misinformation, and deep fakes on social media as just some of the things that are confusing the situation in the Philippines and other countries
Governments find it hard to focus on learning crises because they are too systemic, causing us to fall into confusion about who to believe, where to really start change, and when to fight against the excess of power. Is it really giving hope to people to get out of poverty? In perception alone, that hope is already vague. It is unclear because instead of anti-corruption drives getting better, corruption is getting worse. It is the same with peace and order, with the police being criticized left and right, in lower and upper houses of Congress, that is why we say that as a matter of awareness, we have failed in giving hope to the poor.
In the conduct of surveys by legitimate firms, are people satisfied with the resolutions to the Pharmally scam, the “Pastillas” bribery scheme at the Bureau of Immigration, the lowering of commodity prices, and even the hope that the promises made when the politicians were campaigning in 2022 will be fulfilled? Most of the reactions are: “pare-pareho lang ang mga iyan;” “wala na tayong aasahan sa mga iyan;” and “lagi naman tayong nganga sa mga pangako ng mga pulitiko.”
Studies cannot ascertain whether Filipinos are doing something to change the poor living conditions of many of their countrymen, but only one thing is clear: there are also many who benefit from the wrong ways of leaders.
In the depth of the problem, it cannot be fathomed by the poor who only focus on whether they will have something to eat tomorrow, or if the parents will earn something assuming they have decent jobs. This is where the role of universities comes into play, according to Fr. Marcelo Manimtim, CM. It was only fitting that those who were in front of him listening – alumni who are mass communicators and media practitioners out of Adamson University on June 3, 2023 – be reminded of this crucial role.
The alumni group led by its newly elected president, GMA Interactive News senior admin specialist Teejay Pusong, joined the call of duty of the university, especially in the matter of making people understand that there is still hope for poor people to get out of poverty, that there are individuals and institutions representing them in the matter of good governance, who are fighting for a better future for their children in the field of truth-telling, raising awareness not to follow wrong practices of some public and private institutions, and setting a good example of more decent and more disciplined citizens. In this mobilization of active alumni, said Fr. Manimtim, trust in the government can be restored, private citizens can equally be trusted as they care for disadvantaged members of society (hindi nanggugulang or not taking advantage), and there will be more meaningful and sustainable projects such as scholarship grants, improvement of curricular programs, support for student-athletes, building more classrooms and laboratories complete with equipment, etc.
The role of universities is substantial, according to the Adamson president. In his conversation with those who attended the homecoming of mass communicators and media practitioners, he felt that something could be done to correct the narratives of poverty, development, and good governance. Correct narratives will awaken people’s senses that there is truth in every story, and that is when solutions to society’s problems will begin to be formulated. This should be highlighted on Twitter and other platforms, according to Fr. Manimtim, who was deeply aware of the social media problem that can destroy the nation’s moral fiber if fake news and lies are neglected and not fought. “What is essential with what has happened on Twitter,” he said, “was that (it) not only tells us what is happening, but what people say about what is happening.”
There are mga pantas from universities (mga pamantasan, the root word of which is pantas) so that people will not be fooled. There are mga pantas (not necessarily experts based on 1 Kings 4:30; Matthew 2:1; Job 34:2) who prioritize the welfare of others, instead of themselves, because they have been blessed with resources and wisdom and it is time to just give back to the community, according to the president of Adamson.
Pusong and his fellow officers who are active in media and mass communication, with the guidance of the university’s Office for Institutional Advancement, the Communication Department, and the Adamson University Alumni Association, Inc., responded to the tough challenges of the new organization. Although most of the practitioners were young, they were also enlivened by the presence of big names in radio, TV, newspapers, independent journalism, film, and media companies. Their big ideas mattered to the young practitioners, too, including valuable industry lessons (and life lessons to boot) from Manila Broadcasting Company managing director Ed Montilla.
Communicators and media practitioners may help universities realize their university social responsibility (USC) undertakings, or they may simply conduct webinars and conferences about journalists’ creeds, battling fake news, fact-checking, among others.
There is a growing call for universities, scholars, and other stakeholders to become more active because otherwise, online and face-to-face evil will spread. And as painful as it is to accept, we already know what follows learning crises in the world: stupidity and defending it without realizing it.
DC Alviar
Professor DC Alviar serves as a member of the steering committee of the Philippine International Studies Organization (PHISO). He was part of National University’s community extension project that imparted the five disciplines of a learning organization (Senge, 1990) to communities in a local government unit. He writes and edits local reports for Mega Scene. He graduated with a master’s degree in development communication from the University of the Philippines Open University in Los Baños. He recently defended a dissertation proposal for his doctorate degree in communication at the same graduate school under a Philippine government scholarship grant. He was editor-in-chief of his high school paper Ang Ugat and the Adamson News.
