Earlier this week, an online community page named “Lapu-Lapu” maliciously vilified me and our news site Davao Today as “fake news and NPA sympathizer”. Such accusation and vilification against me and Davao Today is purely baseless.
People with basic concepts of logic and fact-checking can easily surmise that the Lapu-Lapu page is the one who peddles fake news and mastered hate-mongering antics against people with critical view.
I will not dwell on their claim as it is already immaterial. These troll armies are cowardly hiding in anonymous accounts and pages, spinning lies. Now, who’s faking the news? They must look on the mirror now and ask themselves who’s talking now?
Certainly these vilification is part of a systematic effort to silence critical voices under this corrupt ridden and incompetent regime.
The demonization came after I wrote the two latest articles in my column GREEN MINDED: Thoughts on Philippine Agriculture Today pinning down the flawed, failed and outrightly bankrupt programs of the current Duterte Regime who promised us with “Golden Era of Philippine Agriculture” but ended up sacrificing the livelihood of 2.5 million Filipino Rice Farmers.
I thought only few people read and followed my posts and commentaries on this post-truth era, where fake news are published in government websites, however their act of desperation proved otherwise.
Allow me to borrow the words of Pope Francis when he shared his encyclical on the environment: “Our common home is being pillaged, laid waste and harmed with impunity. Cowardice in defending it is a grave sin.” Thus it is my duty both as a Christian and a Filipino to stand against plunder and impunity.
To tell the stories of the voiceless and the oppressed is an honor under these challenging times. It is beyond my expectation that I will be included in the long list of people and organizations subjected to such vilification. To be tagged as a dissident or a communist under this regime is indeed a badge of honor!
RESIST TYRANNY!
DEFEND PRESS FREEDOM!
STAND FOR TRUTH AND JUSTICE!
