HANDS OFF OUR TRUTH-TELLERS
“The press, second only to the churches, is the principal pulpit for teaching truth. It holds the power of the word against the violence of arms.”
St. Titus Brandsma
The Order of Carmelites – Province of St. Titus Brandsma (Philippines) strongly denounces the red-tagging and eventual censorship of alternative online news outfits, Bulatlat.com and Pinoy Weekly, as well as 25 other websites of religious groups, people’s organizations, and non-government organizations.
The Carmelite Order values truth and the recent canonization of Titus Brandsma, the titular patron of Philippine Carmel and a martyr for press freedom and of truth, reinforces this commitment to protect, defend, and support the truth and truth-tellers.
The democratization of communication has led to the proliferation of fake news that has become an instrument in the spread of lies, the promotion of a culture of apathy, and the eventual justification of human rights abuses and the oppression of God’s anawim.
This recent development of the censorship of Bulatlat, Pinoy Weekly and the other websites violates our basic right of being informed and is telling of this government’s desire to hide the truth from the people, and for what?
Since its inception in 2001, after EDSA II, Bulatlat has been consistent and remains true to its slogan of journalism for the people – publishing stories of the struggles of real people that rarely finds space in traditional mainstream media who are beholden to their advertisers and their corporate interests. As such, they have been recognized for their brand of reporting both locally and internationally.
It is absurd for the government to push for the censorship of Bulatlat and the other websites. If we allow this to happen, what would stop this government from pushing its anti-people, anti-poor agenda that would be a burden to God’s people, already burdened by the rising prices of fuel and other basic commodities?
Who will tell the stories of farmers denied of their right to till the land like the Tinang 83; or the jeepney and tricycle drivers who could barely survive and continues to suffer from the greed of oil companies with their inhumane and unreasonable constant increase in gas prices; or the urban poor like the residents of Sitio San Roque who were harassed and falsely imprisoned simply because they were hungry amidst the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic? Who will open our eyes of the evils of this world?
Action has been made by Bulatlat and the other organizations and entities who were censored, but they continue to be blocked by the different Internet Service Providers as the NTC and the NSC stands by their previous orders.
As President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. delivers his first State of the Nation Address, we challenge him to stand by the truth and ensure the protection of the right to information, free press, and freedom of speech.
We call on the government to stop harassing our truth tellers and to immediately lift the censorship on Bulatlat and other groups who were falsely and maliciously linked to the people’s revolutionary movement like the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, media outfit Pinoy Weekly, women farmers’ group Amihan, and others.
We call on the National Telecommunications Commission to not be an instrument of repression but rather to truly be a medium for truth, focusing its regulatory mandate on the battle against fake news and misinformation.
We call on God’s people to defend and to protect our truth-tellers, supporting their struggle in ensuring that truth is not contained, while supporting their fight in battling against.
May the spirit of St. Titus Brandsma be with us.
Photo: engin akyurt on Unsplash | Note: While Bulatlat.com remains to inaccessible, one can read Bulatlat’s stories through its mirror site: Bulatlat.org.