By Francis Allan Angelo
Sereno tells youth to use different platforms as they campaign to hold government accountable in curbing disinformation
Truth-telling is both a right and responsibility of every Filipino, and telling the truth is high in the list of any government’s accountability.
Former Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno stressed this in the last leg of the Media and Information Literacy forum initiated by Rappler and its citizens’ engagement arm MovePH on February 17.
The former chief justice stressed that the Preamble of the 1987 Constitution laid down the basis for truth-telling as both right and duty.
The Constitution is a reminder that governments established by the people have the obligation to bring “the blessings of independence and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace,” said Sereno.
“Public office is not material possession but a public trust,” she reminded Filipinos. “The Constitution says public officers must always be accountable. It is automatic and there is no need for public demand because it is part of their oath of office.”
Citing how disinformation spreads so fast, Sereno suggested that some government agencies can regulate social media platforms.
She pointed to the Department of Communications Technology, National Telecommunications Commission, National Privacy Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Department of Science and Technology as among these regulatory agencies.
Disinformation in schools
The former chief justice also lamented the problem of historical distortion in the country’s educational system.
She cited the Tallano gold myth that was used to justify the wealth of the Marcoses, who have been convicted by the courts of amassing ill-gotten wealth.
In upholding the Sandiganbayan’s decision to declare P25 billion worth of Marcos property and as ill-gotten wealth, the Supreme Court in 2003 noted: “The assets acquired by the Marcoses and kept in these deposits are manifestly disproportionate to their salaries as government officials.”
In February 2023, the Sandiganbayan, the country’s anti-graft court, barred the Marcos family from retaking their assets that were already declared part of their ill-gotten wealth.
Agencies like the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, National Historical Commission of the Philippines, and National Commission for Culture and the Arts have the duty to promote truth, as spelled out in the charter, said Sereno.
“They must promote accuracy and truth, not propaganda. There is no education if it is not founded on truth,” she stressed.
Never forget
Sereno said Republic Act No. 10368 (Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013) created the Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial Commission to memorialize the stories of the Martial Law rule under the first Marcos administration.
“It is their duty to pursue with schools the memorialization of the stories of the victims of Marcos’ martial law. If they don’t do it with DepEd and CHED, they can be summoned to Congress and be held accountable,” she added.
She also pointed out that the public can also demand from Congress to fund efforts to promote free press and freedom of expression which are the foundations of truth-telling.
“If the preamble requires a regime of truth, it should always be there. Congress can do a lot to protect free press like increasing the legal bar to avoid lawfare or weaponization of the law against the press. Free press always sides with the people and it is important to transparency,” Sereno said.
Demand truth
The former chief justice said students should start asking how these agencies promote truth-telling to curb disinformation.
“Action need not only be on the streets. It can be through letter writing, editorials through student publications, and social media posts,” Sereno said.
“It can be very respectful and cite the law that they have been violating. And how can you be sued if you cite the specific law and a specific incident? What’s important is the volume of noise and surge. The question is how do we start?” she added.
Sereno said a government should just embody the best of its people but also be truthful.
“In Southeast Asian culture, we love and respect persons in authority. But if we don’t exact accountability, we cannot protect ourselves. Dapat panagutan; ginawa mo panagutan mo,” Sereno said.
“If we are not aware and knowledgeable, we have the drug war, the government using violence to solve crime; poverty and hunger, political corruption leading to insurgency and extremism,” she pointed out.
“We will also have injustice and weak democratic institutions, geopolitical problems with China, sexual harassment at home, overseas Filipino workers coming home dead or maltreated, and environmental exploitation,” she added.
Question government
The negative effects of a reactive government were also visible at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in nutrition and mental health problems.
“It is our responsibility to make sure that these problems do not worsen. Government must be afraid of betraying public trust,” the former chief justice said.
Sereno also raised controversial new programs under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s government, like the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF).
Marcos and his economic managers have claimed the Maharlika fund is patterned after sovereign wealth funds of more developed economies.
Sereno, however, said asking for clarity about the MIF’s operations is a way to protect the country’s future.
“For government projects like MIF, what if we commit mistakes and the economy or BSP (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas sinks? It will be a bleak economic future for us,” she noted.
This story was first published on Rappler with support from the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship.
