From disinformation campaigns influencing public opinion to politicians manipulating facts for their propaganda, the truth continues to be contested in Philippine society.
Through PressPlay 2025, the annual journalism conference—organized by DLSU and ADMU’s official student publications, The LaSallian and The GUIDON, respectively—tackled these national issues through the theme “Rebuilding the truth of our nation” last March 1 at the Manila Campus.
Gathering 29 student publications from all over the country, the conference engaged campus journalists through talks, workshops, and a competition to join the discourse on politics and the digital world, equipping them with critical thinking and inspiration ahead of the 2025 National and Local Elections.
Truth as a shared reality
In the current digital age, living in the divisive state of information has created ripples in people’s perception of the truth toward politics and governance. Rappler Senior Reporter and Department of Communication lecturer Bea Cupin explored this information crisis in her plenary session titled “Is the truth dying?” where understanding facts continues to be mired with lies and disinformation.
Cupin stated that the Philippine information ecosystem is built upon the data from Filipinos who continue to participate in the algorithm. This led to the creation of echo chambers, environments that reinforce people’s biases and hinder a shared understanding of facts.
“Being adept at using the [social media] platform does not mean you are adept to the manipulation of the platform…it does not mean that you are aware of the techniques to deceive you,” she explained.
She also stressed the need for campus journalists to discern which information should be platformed in their content. “To be voter centric, balik tayo doon sa tanong na ‘Ano yung gusto ng mga voters?’” she added.
(…let’s go back to the question of ‘What do the voters want to know?’)
Refining the tools to rebuild truth
The participating student journalists were then separated into specialized seminars on how they could participate in rebuilding the truth through their chosen crafts.
Columnist Michael Ubac taught the persuasive art of opinion writing, particularly how establishing arguments and stances on issues can guide and influence people for the greater good. Meanwhile, lecturer Juniesy Estanislao gave students a brief overview of the current tensions in Philippine politics and their relevance in the upcoming elections.
Cartoonist Iam StephB explored how the intricate craft of visual art can help readers bridge symbolism with the greater scheme of social and political issues through their creative concepts. Referencing Tarantadong Kalbo’s viral comic Tumindig, she hopes for campus journalists to use their skills to convey the truth through their strokes.
“It is such a simple image, and yet ang dami nating nag-join sa call to action niya…editorial cartoonists can use our talent to help voters pick their manok wisely by telling them through illustrations,” the artist expounded.
(It is such a simple image, and yet there were a lot of us who joined his call to action…editorial cartoonists can use our talent to help voters pick their bets wisely by telling them through illustrations.)
Coming from the breakout sessions, a panel discussion with Estanislao, ABS-CBN Reporter Job Manahan, and GMA broadcast journalist Atom Araullo further underscored the importance of communicating the truth with new forms of media. The esteemed panelists shared the adversity the media industry faces in capturing and retaining audience attention due to the ever-transforming media landscape, while insights from the academe helped the campus journalists understand how proper language is crucial.
Araullo warned that journalists will eventually “lose their way” if they focus too much on adapting to social media trends without grounding themselves in journalistic principles. He stressed that journalists need to understand the significance of the truth in their vocation “based on how they know themselves and based on common principles.”
Navigating the ends of student journalism
After the speaking sessions, the participants competed through editorial writing and cartooning to feature the role and competencies of campus journalism in covering reality through compelling opinion pieces, ensuring the proper discourse of truth amid the polarized politics in the Philippines.
Juan Miguel Diaz, Associate Editor of The Bedan Herald, specified their editorial on the current difficulties encountered by campus journalists and the responsibility placed upon them in combating manipulative information in the media.
“Through the editorial, we essentially showcased the challenges that campus journalists face, and at the same time, reestablish through our arguments the important role that we play, especially towards the elections now that there is an avenue of troll farms, misinformation, and disinformation,” Diaz explains.
He also looked forward to manifesting the theme of the event by using his publication to relay the facts to Filipinos for the upcoming 2025 Midterm Elections.
“We hope, moving forward, is [to] use our platform. We, as campus journalists, attain reality by reaching for the truth, and that is what we hope for—to open the eyes of young and old voters [and] to help them discern who should be the next elected officials for our government,” he added.
Meanwhile, The Philippine Artisan-Cavite’s Editor in Chief Lyca Isleta underscored the relevance of their work in promoting the truth rather than “distorted information.” She also valued the crucial role of journalists in embodying their practices as voters.
From the viewpoint of a publication moderator about the essence of the conference, Ildefonso Tutor Jr. from Plaid Ideas shared that accuracy is the key takeaway that he aspires to foster among his student journalists “since their forte is more on features.” Additionally, he stated that he hopes to educate them about using social media as a voice that “intricately and responsibly helps others.”
Among the 29 entries, the editorial piece of La Nouvelle of De La Salle University Senior High School Laguna has been recognized as the Best Editorial for PressPlay 2025. Maxine Marian Esleta, the opinion and editorial head of the publication, mentioned that their piece was about the unrecognizable truth in today’s society.
“We looked for multiple articles and sources that basically say that…the truth is dying, or the truth is unrecognizable, and that we, as campus journalists, need to—like the theme—reclaim it,” Esleta emphasized.
With the 2025 Midterm Elections approaching, Esleta remarked that she will use her articles about the election as a guide “to know which candidate is part of a political dynasty, which candidate holds their promises, and which does not.”
This article was published in The LaSallian‘s March 2025 issue. To read more, visit bit.ly/TLSMarch2025.
