During the said hearing, Sen. Bam Aquino said that the list of ‘fake news’ came from the CBCP. But while many of them carry the name of President Rodrigo Duterte, some of them don’t. Released last June, the list also includes The Volatilian, Get Real Philippines, and Thinking Pinoy. For the record, these three sites are not fake news websites.
Incidentally, all the articles at Thinking Pinoy were written by RJ Nieto, who was the resource person during the said hearing. There, Sen. Aquino cited an example of fake news, where he allegedly met with the Maute rebels shortly before the Marawi City attack. Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre believed in it, and exposed it on mainstream media.
Must Read: * New CBCP President, Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles Vows to be Fair With President Duterte, LP Reacts
However, Aquino said that defining what fake news is somehow difficult. The Liberal Party (LP) senator noted that some news sites and blogs are not really fake news, but are rather satire, parody and humor. He emphasized that there is nothing wrong with them, except that many Filipinos today are gullible and find it hard to distinguish them from fake news.
In line with this, Archbishop Valles somehow showed interest in “correcting” the said list. In a short statement via Radio Veritas, the incoming CBCP president urged everyone to remain vigilant in spreading of information. In addition, he emphasized that he will not siding with any politician or political party, despite being close with the Duterte family.
“Truth should always prevail. Political opinions are fine, as God gave us this gift of free will. But still, it is an excuse to destroy anyone or any group. The Catholic Church is not an institution for the powerful, but for everyone.” Archbishop Valles said, with netizens now expecting that Silent No More PH will be included in the new list of fake news websites.
Contributed by Renato Pasayao
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