With the Internet becoming a way of life and the explosive growth in the use of digital tools, people are exposed to a myriad of information. This dynamic new world calls for more savvy online users to support better comprehension and communication of ideas and information.
With roughly 10 months before a new batch of lawmakers—mayors and vice mayors—get elected, MediaQuest and the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) have partnered with telco giants PLDT and Smart Communications to combat disinformation through a media and information literacy (MIL) advocacy program called “ThinkAMuna Pilipinas: Hinay-Hinay, Isip-Isip.”
“The 2025 election is soon upon us. This is another consequential event where all the voices of Filipino voters can be heard again and they could shape the future of this country,” MediaQuest chairman and PLDT CEO Manny V. Pangilinan said during the event. “With MIL, we hope our people can discern credible and true sources from the fake ones, separate facts from opinions, and identify biases.”
The ThinkAMuna Pilipinas campaign, which aims to equip Filipinos with critical thinking skills, will be implemented as part of the election coverage programs of MediaQuest and KBP members.
Slowing down
A good first step to practicing media literacy is to be more mindful of our media use, said MediaQuest corporate communications consultant Mon Isberto.
“There are many skills and practices in MIL that are important, but the first and most fundamental is to stop, look, and think,” he shares. “Fake news travels so much faster so we want to slow down and ask ourselves, ‘Where did this information come from?’ before liking and sharing it.”
Isberto added that the ThinkAMuna Pilipinas campaign is going to become a permanent advocacy of MediaQuest.
“Media literacy will help our people to develop skills and practices that will enable them to understand and cope with this flood of information and disinformation. We’ll see a lot of that during the elections, but we’ll see that every day. So this advocacy is not just for elections, it’s going to continue as we work in partnership with KBP and other partners we pick up as we go along,” he said.
MediaQuest also held a ceremonial signing to mark a media alliance with The Philippine STAR, The Freeman, Pilipino Star Ngayon, News5, One News, One PH, Radyo5 TrueFM, and BusinessWorld to cover the May 2025 midterm elections through its Bilang Pilipino 2025 program.
These media organizations will help Filipinos to combat against the expected wave of fake news.
