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Radical distortions of history? CBCP head warns of ‘pandemic of lies’

Feb 27, 2022, 5:29 AM
Rose De La Cruz

Rose De La Cruz

Writer/Columnist

A growing segment of the population, including the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, is warning about the ‘pandemic of lies’ especially in social media to rewrite the events marking EDSA People Power.

CALOOCAN Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, has warned about the ‘pandemic of lies’ in social media through a pastoral letter circulated during the country’s observance of the 36th anniversary of EDSA People Power.

“We wish to warn you of the radical distortions in the history of martial law and the Edsa People Power Revolution. We are alarmed by this distortion of the truth of history and the attempt to delete or destroy our collective memory through the seeding of lies and false narratives,” he said.
“This is dangerous, for it poisons our collective consciousness and destroys the moral foundations of our institutions,” the pastoral letter released on Friday (February 25) also said.

Proactive role

He said the Catholic Church would also take on a more proactive role in helping the faithful choose the country’s next leaders through collective discernment and consensus-building that is “guided by the Gospel, the Church’s social teachings and an objective understanding of what happened in history.

The CBCP’s three -page pastoral letter signed by David and titled “The Truth Will Set You Free,” the CBCP stressed that it “favors none but the truth.”

People’s triumph

It described the Edsa People Power Revolution as “a fruit of love of neighbor and faith” that was the “triumph of the entire Filipino people,” not just one person, one party or one color.

The letter pointed out that many bishops witnessed the injustice and cruelty of martial law that was toppled by the peaceful revolt, and that human rights abuses, corruption, grave debt and the economic slump during that time are “all well-documented” and are “all written in our history.”

Abuse of truth

With the 2022 elections just a few months away, the CBCP said it was

“appalled by the blatant and subtle distortion, manipulation, cover-up, repression and abuse of the truth” through historical revisionism, disinformation and “troll farms, which sow the virus of lies.”

‘Pandemic of lies’

“This virus paralyzes our capacity to recognize God, respect truth and goodness. Thus, we do not realize that there is a ‘pandemic of lies,’ especially in the social media. This is very serious,” the CBCP said.

They warned that the “neglect of truth is detrimental for all of us, for the foundation of a good society and responsible government is the truth.”

“Can we afford to make lies become the basis of our laws and their implementation? What happens to a family or a society that is not founded on truth?” he asked.
“Dear brothers and sisters, let us stand up for truth. Remember: Goodness without truth is pretense. Service without truth is manipulation. There can be no justice without truth. Even charity, without truth, is only sentimentalism. An election or any process that is not based on truth is but a deception and cannot be trusted,” the pastoral letter read.

Edsa commemoration

Over 4,000 people convened at the EDSA People Power Monument to commemorate the 36th anniversary of the People Power uprising – when the Filipino people united to oust dictator and plunderer Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

Multi-sectoral people’s alliance Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN/New Patriotic Alliance) highlighted the importance of People Power especially now with the prevalence of disinformation.

“Higit na makabuluhan ang pagbabalik-tanaw sa diwa ng pagbabalikwas sa EDSA dahil sa mas pinatinding disimpormasyon na pinapakalat ng pamilya Marcos na walang kahihiyang nais pa ring makabalik sa kapangyarihan kahit pinatalsik na sila ng taumbayan noong 1986,” the group said in a statement.

Mass movement

A “teach-in” – a series of educational discussions – was done in White Plains Avenue educating people about the concrete conditions of the Marcos regime.

They also convened to celebrate the “widening mass movement of Filipinos who fight for genuine change.”

“Okasyon din ito para ipagdiwang ang sumusulong at lumalawak na pagkilos ng mamamayan para sa tunay na pagbabago, na hindi nagapi sa kabila ng papatinding atake ng pasistang rehimeng Duterte,” they added.

A program was organized to retell the country’s situation during Martial Law, which was led by Martial Law victims, educators, workers, farmers, economists, and even lawyers.

Among the speakers included Martial Law survivors Boni Ilagan, Neri Colmenares, lawyers Ricky Tomotorgo and Howard Calleja, economist JC Punongbayan, labor leader Elmer "Bong" Labog, and peasant leader Rafael "Ka Paeng" Mariano, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) chair Jonathan de Santos, and Prof. Gerry Lanuza.

Former chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno gave a video message in solidarity, where she discussed Marcos-convicted cases. Senator Leila de Lima also gave a video message.

The program concluded with the attendees singing “Bayan Ko” and taking a picture in front of the monument.

Tags: #CBCP, #’pandemicoflies,’ #36thanniversaryofEDSAPeoplePower, #revisinghistory, #politics


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