Harry, Sara, Leni and fake news

There was a nursery rhyme from our local version of “Sesame Street,” “Batibot,” that became a favorite among children in the 1980s. “Alin ang Naiba?” (Which is different?) was also a game for kids, designed to help them recognize and distinguish patterns in order to identify which one of four sample images was different. This game was quite similar to a multiple-choice question.

I decided to play a similar game on my phone app, where four images appeared on my screen accompanied by the caption: “Alin ang naiba? Isiping mabuti kung alin.” (Think hard about it.) The images depicted Harry Roque, Sara Duterte, Leni Robredo, and a collage representing fake news.

At first, I thought the answer was obvious: fake news. The first three images depicted real people, while fake news was a work of fiction. Additionally, the first three individuals were lawyers, who were ethically bound to “do no falsehood nor… pervert the law to unjustly favor or prejudice anyone,” while fake news represented falsehood and the perversion of justice. Ultimately, lawyers embody truth and justice, whereas fake news represents lies and injustices.

However, I then considered that it might be a trick question — which is usual in law school exams. I realized that I might be rushing to conclusions, so I conducted some research.

I discovered that all of them had interacted at some point. Harry and Leni were dormmates at UP, while Harry serves as a lawyer and political ally to Sara. Just days ago, Sara visited Leni in Naga, where they discussed “personal” matters. But what about their individual associations and relationship with fake news?

Harry has represented fake news as a lawyer. He was once labeled “a big liar” by Barry Gutierrez, Leni’s spokesperson. Harry argues that fake news comprises ideas that should be tested in a free market of ideas. This viewpoint is a distortion of Justice Holmes’ dissenting opinion in US v. Abrams, which asserted that “… the ultimate good desired is better reached by free trade in ideas — that the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market.”

However, fake news are not ideas to be sold and subjected to debate in the marketplace of ideas. We do not engage in discussions about fake news because they do not represent true ideas; instead, they deal with facts, and the fabrication of it.

For example, one cannot sell a counterfeit watch and claim it is a genuine Rolex; that would constitute fraud. Freedom of speech entails transparency because it concerns finding the truth. Fake news are founded on lies and deception motivated by financial and political gain.

Numerous studies have shown that fake news harms society and democracy. It erodes the trust of citizens in one another, making it increasingly difficult for them to discern what is true and what is simply false. The consequence is political polarization, leading citizens to disengage from the political process. Unfortunately, it is mostly the informed few — the middle class — who choose to disengage.

Sara Duterte represents the Bratinella, a persona spoiled by the influence of fake news. She is a beneficiary of a well-funded machinery that fuels propaganda, including avenues like SMNI and KoJC, as well as POGO criminals who seek to alter the narrative. Sara is also a polarizing figure; she disrupts the unity of families, friends, and allies, whether intentionally or not. Her actions threaten the solidarity of Filipinos.

In recent years, she always found a way to polarize Congress. Thankfully, she failed in her recent attempt. Just observe how Congress has become welcoming and diverse in recent years. Progressive groups like the Makabayan bloc, and now the Akbayan group, have been given a platform.

In the meantime, the Quad Committee’s investigation of the POGO structures have been eye-opening.

Recently, Sara sowed doubt within the ranks of the Liberal Party simply by spending an hour at Leni’s residence. What must Senator Leila de Lima be feeling? After all, Harry, Sara’s No. 1 fan, had expressed a desire for the former lady senator to “rot in jail.” Observe, too, that PBBM did not meddle in the court’s decision in the criminal cases against Senator De Lima, which led to her freedom from incarceration.

Leni has exhibited an aversion to fake news, but just a few days ago Barry Gutierrez acknowledged that Leni felt “used” by VP Sara to shift the narrative concerning the latter’s misuse of confidential funds. Of course, Leni was exploited; Sara exudes nothing but fake news — that was one hour spent listening to fabrications. Leni must safeguard her followers and ensure that she does not confuse them with misinformation.

Ultimately, it became evident to me that the answer was straightforward: it lay in the distinction of their political colors. Harry, Sara, and Fake News wear green — the color of money, greed, and envy — while Leni dons pink, a symbol hopefully of innocence, not ignorance and gullibility.