These past weeks and months have given many of us reason to breathe a little more freely. The International Criminal Court has finally moved to hold Rodrigo Duterte accountable for the bloodshed of his so-called drug war. At home, his daughter Sara faces mounting calls for impeachment following her silence—and, some would argue, complicity—amid crucial issues confronting the Filipino people. For many, these are the early signs of a long-overdue reckoning.
And yet, as one who has long stood against injustice and impunity, I must say this: The way we fight matters.
Across social media, I’ve seen a troubling trend—memes, quotes, and “factoids” being shared by people who are clearly on the side of truth and democracy. People like me. People like us. People who stood up against tyranny when it was dangerous and unpopular to do so.
But in their zeal, some have begun doing exactly what we once condemned: distorting facts, oversimplifying complex issues, and sharing posts that are inaccurate at best—and malicious at worst.
Take the issue of Israel and Palestine. Many of us are rightly outraged by the deaths of Palestinian children and the suffering of civilians caught in the crossfire. The ongoing bombardment of Gaza, the statements by some Israeli officials that dehumanize an entire people—these are crimes that demand international attention. But in our anger, we cannot turn to antisemitic tropes or unverified claims just because they serve our narrative. The Jewish people, as a people, are not our enemy. Zionist extremism is.
We must remember: these are the kinds of lies that once fueled the Holocaust. Propaganda that reduced Jews to caricatures, blamed them for society’s ills, and justified their extermination. That kind of hatred doesn’t begin with bullets—it begins with falsehoods dressed as truth.
Likewise, with China. We have every reason to be angry. Their aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea violate our sovereignty and endanger our fisherfolk. They bully our ASEAN neighbors, intimidate Taiwan, and ignore the rule of international law. But even here, we must not spread manipulated videos or fabricated quotes. And we must never allow our anger to devolve into racism. Some Filipinos, in their frustration, have resorted to hateful generalizations—not only against the Chinese government, but against Chinese people as a whole, including our own Chinese-Filipino brothers and sisters. That is wrong.
Let’s not forget: during World War II, similar sentiments led to the demonization and incarceration of Japanese Americans—citizens placed in internment camps simply because of their ancestry. Righteous anger, when left unchecked, can quickly become injustice in another form.
We are reminded of this even in cultural spaces. Look at what happened during BINI’s recent Biniverse World Tour. The girls faced critics who mocked them, questioned their talent, and dismissed their worth. But they didn’t stoop to trading insult for insult. They let the work speak. The sold-out shows, the international praise, the tears of joy from overseas Filipinos—these were not viral fabrications. They were the quiet victory of truth over noise. In a world obsessed with image and misinformation, BINI reminded us that truth, when lived consistently, shines on its own. So why not let their timely reminder guide our actions?
For what good is our cause if we win people over with lies? What does that make us?
Because this is precisely what the other side has done for years—built their power on deception, propaganda, and emotional manipulation. If we fight fire with fire, we may succeed in burning things down. But we won’t build anything worth keeping.
The truth is what sets us free—not the version that flatters us, or the one that makes for the catchiest post, but the hard, unvarnished truth. Truth that sometimes calls us to pause, verify, and revise. Truth that humbles as much as it convicts.
We are at the threshold of something hopeful. The darkness is cracking. The tide is turning. But the foundation of the new day must be built on truth. Without it, we are no better than those we oppose.
So yes—demand justice. Call out oppression. Name names. But do so with facts. Always with facts. Because truth is not just a weapon. It is the very ground we stand on.