30/08/2026
๐๐๐๐๐๐ | ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐
๐๐
By Rhianne Tuatis
It is only a click away, displayed on our screens, printed on pages, and spoken through countless voices. We live in an era where accessing information is more convenient than ever. Yet, somehow, the truth can still feel distant.
Sometimes, the truth is just near us, maybe encircling us, or almost in our grasp, waiting to be discovered by people who are willing to look beyond what is presented or refuse to acknowledge a generation wherein false information has become widespread. Every year, according to Inquirer.net, about 72% of adult Filipinos, or 7 out of 10, struggle to identify whether what they watch, hear, or read is fake. Yet, only 56% said they would seek another trustworthy source to verify the conflicting information.
The truth may be within reach, but are we reaching for it?
Finding the truth is no longer simply about having access to information. It is about knowing which information deserves to be believed.
And this is where the press becomes important.
Today, August 30, marks National Press Freedom Dayโor RA 11699, established to honour our Father of Philippine Journalism, Marcelo H. Del Pilar, mainly known as Plaridel. Today reminds us that standing for the truth is not a responsibility reserved for journalists alone, nor is it something we practice only once a year. It is an everyday choice to question, to seek, and to stand firm for what is true.
How can I call being a journalist survival? Because nowadays, telling the truth is no easy task.
For some journalists, pursuing the truth has come at a devastating cost. Some have faced threats, harassment, and even death simply for doing their work. According to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), at least 189 journalists have been killed since 1986. Their stories reminds us that press freedom is not an abstract privilegeโit is a right that people have fought, and continue to fight, to protect. It also inspires us to seek and question the truth, especially when significant issues are being buried beneath the noise.
It is like searching for a familiar face in a crowded roomโthe person may be right in front of us, yet the noise around us makes them easy to miss. In much the same way, when the major issues like flood control controversy can be drowned by a flood of misinformation, biased headlines and viral distractions.
And perhaps that is the greatest dangerโnot that the truth is far away, but that it is so near, yet we choose to look elsewhere.
So, as a student, MelQuinian, or individual, can you really call yourself a truth-teller if you simply let false information slide?
Perhaps, being a truth-teller does not always mean being behind the newspapers or holding the microphone; rather, it means verifying before you share, asking one more question or refusing to believe something just because everyone else does.
Because the truth does not just disappear; we do not realise it, but we stop looking for it.
It is near, yet so far, not because the truth cannot be found, but because we choose not to reach for it.
--
Pubmat by Shia Rafael Nuri Taib
--
