Rappler invited Iloilo youth leaders to confront election-related disinformation and propaganda with the upcoming 2025 Philippine midterm elections fast approaching.
Through its civic engagement arm MovePH, Rappler partnered with #FactsFirstPH, University of the Philippines Visayas, Daily Guardian, iWrite, and Vital Signs for the #AmbagNatin: Championing Facts for an Informed Choice roadshow, featuring a public forum attended by over 120 participants last November 19 at the UP Visayas Little Theater, Iloilo City.
Informed Choices Starts Here
Rappler’s head of Civic Engagement, Samantha Bagayas, highlighted the collective responsibility in elections, inviting speakers and participants from various sectors, including civic organizations and the academe.
“Regardless of your affiliation or status, you are going to be involved in the elections and we all have the capacity to influence other people. This is about giving people the skills to make informed choices and rely on verified sources of information,” she stressed.
The public forum featured talks by Rappler’s Disinformation and Platforms Lead Researcher, Gemma Mendoza, and Daily Guardian’s Editor-in-Chief, Francis Angelo. Mendoza discussed the critical role of credible sources during elections, while Angelo highlighted the local media’s role in promoting facts during Iloilo’s elections.
Afterwards, panelists from the various advocacy-driven organizations inside and outside of the academe sector were brought together for the panel discussion, fostering a diverse and dynamic exchange of ideas.
“Not only are we getting like prominent figures, but also getting representatives in the community who might be familiar to the audience because they can see themselves in the panelists,” said Bagayas.
It included Mendoza, Angelo, UP Visayas Division of Humanities Chairperson– Professor Katherine Valencia, Vital Signs’ Editor-in-Chief– Franco Miguel Nodado, and Lente UP Visayas Chapter President Jaztine Marcial. Dwight de Leon, Rappler’s Multimedia reporter, served as the moderator.
Shaping Informed Voters
Throughout the discussion, the panelists shared the importance of facts amid disinformation across sectors and encouraged active audience participation in the forthcoming elections.
Mendoza highlighted the risks posed by AI-generated content, citing examples of deepfake audio that could influence public perception during elections.
Prof. Valencia, on the other hand, imparted the application of multimodal literacy in examining media texts that can be used as a tool to critically assess politicians' campaigns, especially on social media.
“Mas nabibigay yung kapangyarihan sa audiences in terms of identifying critically ano mga plataporma nila, na maraming paraan para himay-himayin ang media text na binabasa,” stressed Prof. Valencia.
Active engagement started as student participants shared their insights and takeaways on the Rappler Communities app's community channel, voter-hotline, enhancing the conversation with diverse perspectives and real-time feedback.
For instance, online community member ‘Roxanne’ cited how being informed might be easy but ensuring its factuality is hard, wherein other students related to the shared struggle of educating people in identifying fake news online. A problem they said had been amplified by the increasing number of trolls and fake news websites in digital spaces brought by past elections.
Karl Jaesop Sapul, a student from Western Visayas State University College of Communication, shared concern on how those who attempt to correct and educate others had been painted negatively by society.
However, Nodado urged fellow students to continue their efforts despite challenges posed by disinformation and backlash, especially in the impending confrontation to election propaganda.
On one hand, Angelo stressed stepping up the efforts in holding the line for future generations.
“If we don’t do our jobs on explaining things, what will that generation come to? Their capacity to analyze and discern will be subpar. Our purpose is to help the youth analyze,” said Angelo.
Marcial added the importance of educational discussions on a grassroot level with barangays and the youth as the primary recipients.
“The people, the masses specifically, can actually somehow analyze or grasp abstract information if and only if communicated properly and in the proper platforms,” said Marcial.
To cap the discussion off, Rappler recognized the top takeaways shared by participants, which highlighted the realizations and learnings from the audience.
“Whatever we write or report is not just for us, [but] for the people and the betterment of our country. As the election is fast approaching, let’s remember our voices are our power– [so] never let them silence our voices,” an online community member ‘Alana’ remarked.
Another online community member ‘Jeanette’ reiterated the need to value and apply media literacy as responsible media consumers who maintain truth and democracy in the country.
The public forum served as a platform for students to learn and converse with representatives from various sectors. It aimed to widen the scope of information in making informed choices that could positively impact the upcoming elections and beyond.
From Discussion to Action
Iloilo City, as the first stop of Rappler's #AmbagNatin Roadshow, built on its prior campaign with digital advocacy through the #FactsFirstPH roadshow held last 2023.
UP Visayas, in its second-year hosting Rappler’s roadshows, begun with the community journalism advocacy of UP Visayas Professor Dr. Zoilo S. Andrada Jr., who opened the opportunity to host the first #FactsFirstPH roadshow. An idea approved by Rappler leading to a Memorandum of Understanding, making UP Visayas and UPV iWrite its official partners.
“With everything that transpired last year, Rappler could see how Ilonggo youth leaders amplify their voices on critical issues on disinformation and fake news,” Dr. Andrada reasoned on Rappler’s second roadshow in Iloilo. A claim supported by the local #FactsFirst groups and initiatives created and are working closely with Rappler after the first roadshow.
While both promoted responsible digital media use, the #AmbagNatin roadshow focused on empowering voters to make informed choices for the 2025 Philippine midterm elections amid the proliferation of deliberate and targeted disinformation campaigns on social media and the permeation of generative AI and political propaganda on digital spaces.
