Module 2.

1: Truth, Fact or Fake:

Total Study Hours: 3 Hours per day
Module Writer: Erlito V. Ebia

Introduction:

There are many people who are interested in history. They love and enjoy it. Like the movie
directors, authors of books, scientists, philosophers, engineers, economists and politicians to name a
few.

However, what is critical in the study of history is the way the story has been written. Is the
story true or just a figment of the author’s imagination? Is the story having factual basis? This is the
next topic in this module. The differences between truth and facts. And what do we mean by fake
story.

Activities, assessment exercises and short quizzes are included in this module, which are self-
explanatory, to better improve the students’ learning ability. Goodluck, keep safe and God bless!

Leaning Outcomes:
After this module, the students are expected to;
On the cognitive level
1. Explain the concept of truths, facts or fake story;
On the affective level
2. Differentiate truths, facts and fake story;
Psycho-motor level
3. Identify Truths, Facts and fake story.

Core Content:

Truth, Fact or Fake Story

How could we know if Jose Rizal undeniably returned to Catholicism or not before he was
executed at “Bagong Bayan”? Or how could we be sure, if the late Ferdinand Marcos was the evilest
Philippine president? Or, how could we prove if the late Senator Ninoy Aquino was a communist or
not? Of course, we have watched and learned a lot from movies or documentary films, and read so
much from books or newspapers about these stories. Do they tell us the factual events, the true
accounts or they just give us opinions or what worse is, “fake stories?”

The historians’ big responsibility to the public is to tell the truth. Truth which is based on facts,
and not on fake stories. This is what Teodoro A. Agoncillo said on this matter when Ambeth Ocampo
personally interviewed him on one occasion. “The role of the Filipino historian must be the role of all
historians. There is, of course, [Filipino history], but as rule, the role of the historian is to tell the
truth-- in so far as documents are concerned” (Agoncillo and Ocampo, 1995).

Let us qualify these two words “truths” and “facts,” then we go to fake story.

A fact is usually understood as “a posteriori” knowledge. It means, knowledge based on

empirical evidence or sense perception. It is measurable, like pen, person, books, house, computer,
school cards, etc. They are physical reality. They exist now, had existed in the past, and will still exist
in the future, maybe with different names, shapes or colors.

Truth is a knowledge based on the person’s subjective interpretation on facts. Thus, truth
depends on a person’s understanding of empirical reality may it be another person’s deeds and
words, a place, a thing or an occurrence. It is what he or she has come to believe. If he or she believes
that something is true, then it is true. Therefore, it is subjective. If it is subjective, then it is changing.
Unlike, facts, it never changes, hence it is objective. Whatever, these two are necessary in writing
history (Julita, 2010).

Fake is different. It is based on rumors and distorted facts. The story is a fabrication of
someone who’s intention is to spread lies, deceptions and misinformation. Filipinos have their own
lingo for “fake story” which is “Tsismis.” We don’t like “tsismis” what we like is “katotohanan” based
on solid evidence or facts.

For example, a chair is a physical reality. Everybody knows what it is. It is a fact. Let us say that
person A says the chair is beautiful. Does person A is claiming a true statement? Here comes person B
and says the opposite, it is ugly. His perception is different from person A. Does person B tell a lie,
because he or she repudiate person A’s statement? Both A and B are telling the truth which is based
on what they see (based on factual evidence=physical chair) and what they believe on what they see
(perspective). People tell something over a factual occurrence based on their personal preferences or
we commonly call it biases. Nevertheless, they articulate the truth because their story is hinged on an
empirical evidence. The evidence exists in actuality. Teodoro A. Agoncillo clearly said, history is never
objective. Historians wrote history based on their biased position, however based on real evidences
(Agoncillo and Ocampo, 1995).

On one hand, fake story is far different from Truth and facts. A fake story tells that there is a
chair and it is beautiful, even though the chair is not there.

A fact serves as a physical evidence. Truth is a combination of a physical evidence and an

interpretation of it. While, fake story is a fabrication of evidences.
Summary

Facts are more objective when compared to the more subjective truths. They are more
permanent when compared to the more temporary truths. They exist in reality, whereas truths are
usually the things that one believes to be true, or the things that are true in the current situation.
Facts can also answer the ‘where,’ ‘when’ and ‘how’ questions, whereas truths answer the ‘why’
question. Fake story is the fabrication of facts.

Reference:

Agoncillo, Teodoro A. (2003). History and culture, language, and literature: selected essays of Teodoro
A. Agoncillo. In Bernardita Reyes Churchill (Ed). España, Manila : University of Santo Tomas
Pub. House.

Agoncillo, Teodoro A. and Ocampo, Ambeth R. (1995). Conversations with Teodoro Andal Agoncillo
and Ambeth R. Ocampo. Manila : De La Salle University Press.

Julita (2010). "Difference Between Fact and Truth." DifferenceBetween.net. Retrieved from
http://www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/difference-between-fact-and-truth/ >.
June, 15, 2020.

Malindog-Uy, Anna (2020). The Asean Post : The ABS-CBN Shutdown Controversy Dated May 24, 2020.
Retrieve from https://theaseanpost.com/article/abs-cbn-shutdown-controversy on August
14, 2020.