Name: Hannah Fiona C.

Valdez
Crse&Sec: BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN MEDICAL BIOLOGY COMPRESSED 3-YEAR
PROGRAM MEB16
Subject: MGA BABASAHIN HINGGIL SA KASAYSAYAN NG PILIPINAS SOSC001
Professor/Instructor: Jumel Estrañero
University: De La Salle University – Dasmariñas

The Importance of Primary and Secondary Source in the Philippines: Do

Filipinos Distinguish Genuine and Credible News from A Fake One?

I. Introduction

About 92.5 million people use social media in the Philippines as of February 2022; some
use it for routine tasks while others use it for more nefarious ones. It is without a doubt the
reason why false news and historical revisionism have gained popularity online, making it
challenging for users to tell what is true from what is phony.

People nowadays can easily access through various materials to look for information that
can be researched in books, articles, and of course internet. But they tend to also doubtlessly
obtain information from erroneous sources.

Prevalence of fake news and inaccurate news mostly resides in the internet or social
media, with this, misinformation and disinformation happen uncontrollably. People who do not
practice fact checking or credibility of an information or news are prone on getting and spreading
untrustworthy ones. People who cling to the untrue are the actual obstacle in the way of
combating fake news. Since the truth does not conform to their preferences, they reject fact-
checking and academic validation on the grounds that it is skewed or political in nature.

False news could not only affect the present times but also the future of our generation or
history of our nation. It affects present and future by the history revisionism that has been
happening all throughout the years. Additionally, revisionism in social media undermines
trustworthy reporting. The spread of false information through many platforms jeopardizes the
reputation of reputable news and media outlets with the ability to produce verified, correct, and
true information. There is no denying that the Philippines' democracy is currently facing
significant difficulties. Disinformation and revisionism have a wider audience now thanks to
social media, particularly among younger people. It is alarming how widespread revisionism on
social media might corrupt young, impressionable minds and have the potential to restore
dictatorships to power in the future.

II. Body

Sources nowadays can be defined as a reference of an information obtained. Primary and

secondary sources are the most important element in a history for it is the foundation of the
information that molds history. Documents or artifacts produced by a witness to or participant in
an event are referred to as primary sources. They could be firsthand accounts or materials
produced during the era you are studying. Secondary sources on the other hand contextualize
original sources or primary sources. They provide commentary, summaries, interpretations, and
analysis of data from primary sources. Secondary sources are typically authored by those who
did not personally see the events they are writing about.

The two types of fake news are misinformation and disinformation. Misinformation is
defined as "the dissemination of false information, even if not deliberate or malicious, based on
unsupported conjecture and in light of various considerations". Disinformation on the other hand,
is defined as "false information (that) is spread deliberately and maliciously for personal gain or
to cause harm to another party." (Schulman and Siman-Tov 2020, p. 2). History revisionism
refers to any reinterpretation of historical events, albeit it is widely debated whether this practice
is good, destructive, or somewhere in between. The rewriting of old facts to suit modern morality
is a much more contentious element of the problem than permitting freshly discovered data and
facts to enter the historical record.

During the time that Rodrigo Duterte was president of the Philippines, historical
revisionism flourished on social media, but it gained a lot of attention before the 2022 elections.
One main example of this is the Revisionism of Martial Law that has been controversial and a
sensitive part of history of the Philippines. This revision was happening way back the electoral
campaign, where there are people who treats Ferdinand Marcos Sr. as a national hero. Given that
the majority of Filipinos consume and use various social media platforms, misinformation about
the said revision spread quickly, and attempts to change historical facts have gotten simpler and
more widely available.

Despite the greatest efforts of pro-democratic actors, armies of misinformation promoters

devoted to some candidates have successfully propagated misinformation over significant
portions of the voters in the 2022 presidential election in the Philippines. For instance, content on
social media has proliferated all throughout the nation that "whitewashes" the record of the
former president Ferdinand Marcos and makes blatantly false claims like the one that says no
arrests were made while martial law was in effect in 1972. However, according to Amnesty
International, between 1972 and 1981, there were 3,200 homicides, 34,000 torturers, and 70,000
prisoners. Millions of Filipinos' voting decisions could be swayed by a massive network of troll
farms and influencers that spread these false and misleading narratives, which poses a serious
threat.

Prior to the elections in the Philippines, the integrity of information has come under
attack, which has negatively impacted democratic norms and procedures. Elections present
plenty of opportunities for malicious actors to disseminate lies and fabricate stories because more
and more voters in the nation rely on digital platforms for information. The average Filipino
spent about four hours per day on social media in 2021, a considerable increase from prior years,
and the Philippines maintained its top spot in the rankings of worldwide social media usage for
the sixth consecutive year. A whopping 44% of adult Filipinos say Facebook is their main news
source, while nearly half of all Filipinos acquire their news from online sources.
 III. Analysis

Table 1. This shows the theories on why people believe on fake news according to cognitive
psychology and behavioral research.

As shown in the data that has been gathered from research articles, surveys, and case
studies, fake news is really prevalent around the Philippines and it might take time to fully
penetrate the spreading of it. In the table 1, it shows that people only believe on fake news
because of the various theories wherein they only believe because they are exposed on the
information repeatedly, if the information is perceived as credible, aligned to their ideological
predisposition, fail to distinguish truth from falsehood and are biased receiver of an information.
With these possible effects and theories, false news often spread like a wild fire.
 Figure 1. Fake news detected in selected Southeast Asian countries, 2020 (% by type of
content)

In the figure 1, it shows that Philippines is one of the Southeast Asian countries that has a
high percentage of misinformation and disinformation. It is mainly in the category of
government’s actions and regulations, and false and misleading statistics. These can be also
observed on the social media it is the main site of the high percentage of false news.
 IV. Recommendation

Even though there are laws that can punish who spreads untrue news and information, it
is not enough if people have their specific or own ways how to process or digest the information
that they encounter. The prevention of the spreading should always start on ourselves.

Raise awareness of the fact-checking resources accessible. Even though there are free
internet fact-checking tools accessible, their familiarity and comprehension are still limited. They
should be promoted with assistance from governmental organizations, academic institutions, and
media outlets.

Enhance participation of citizens. The issue of misinformation affects the entire

society. Everyone is concerned about it. It is not merely a problem for the government or the IT
industry to tackle. Therefore, it is crucial to involve the public in fact-checking. In order to
maintain the participation, it is essential to empower citizens to do fact-checking through
ongoing training and education.

In order to lay a strong foundation, teach youngsters to be analytical from an early

age. Cognitive psychology links a lack of critical thinking skills and reflective reasoning to a
propensity to believe false information. Children's critical thinking abilities must be fostered, and
they must be taught the fundamentals of digital literacy. Both at home and in school, these
should start early.

Enhance the Media Literacy in the basic education. Teachers should enhance their
teaching about media literacy by providing the effects of being a media literate person and how it
will benefit them. Being a media literate person can benefit the whole society. This of course
includes fact-checking, looking for credible author, and a thoroughly analyzed statistical figures.

V. Conclusion

Primary and secondary sources serve as the origin of our history. With the fake news or
false claims, it affects our daily lives and the interpretation towards our history. As the historians,
annalist, and archivist continue to fight for the truth about our history, the widespread of
misinformation and disinformation also thrives because of the forgers of history. Forgers who
only spread nothing but false claims and untrue happenings from the history to recent and gain
only personal benefit. Of course, with the fight for the truth enhancement of media literacy,
strengthening the fact-checking, and raising awareness about fake news should be implemented
to us, Filipinos. As we practice our tradition as Filipinos, we should be aware of the societal
issues such as misinformation, disinformation, and historical revisionism. Being aware would not
only benefit us but also the future generation of our nation. As what the social experts, writers,
and journalists, think before you click.
 VI. References:

Dang, H.L. 2021. Social media, fake news, and the COVID-19 pandemic: Sketching the case of
Southeast Asia. Austrian Journal of South-East Asian Studies 14(1):37–57.

Frondoza, R., Frondoza, R., & Aquino, L. (2022, November 6). Revisionism in Social Media and

Philippine Democracy. https://www.democratic-erosion.com/2022/11/06/revisionism-in-

social-media-and-philippine-democracy/

Gregorio, X. (2022, October 12). For Filipinos, fake news is a problem they blame on social

media influencers. Philstar.com.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/10/11/2215867/filipinos-fake-news-problem-

they-blame-social-media-influencers

Historical Revisionism | Greenhaven Publishing. (n.d.).

https://www.greenhavenpublishing.com/title/Historical-Revisionism

James, E. (2022, May 6). A Re-Written History: How Digital Misinformation is Distorting Facts

in the Philippines. International Republican Institute. https://www.iri.org/news/a-re-

written-history-how-digital-misinformation-is-distorting-facts-in-the-philippines/

Library Guides: History: Home. (n.d.). https://guides.lib.uw.edu/c.php?g=344285

Ocampo, A. R. (2022, September 21). Fake news as old as history. INQUIRER.net.

https://opinion.inquirer.net/157162/fake-news-as-old-as-history

Research Guides: History: Primary vs. Secondary Sources. (n.d.).

https://libguides.lehman.edu/history/primary-secondary-sources
Message to the Professor:

History is one of the widest subject or topic that can be discussed in a class. Teaching is
not easy as it seems because you have to make sure that everyone in the class understand what
you are teaching. But Sir Jumel managed to teach us even though we do not meet regularly and
has a tight schedule. For that I would like to express my gratitude by thanking him in this
message. Thank you, sir for teaching us not only about history but also guiding us to our dream
profession. For always reminding us that we may not see each other in the near future, you will
still be proud and rooting for us. History may not be our major course in our profession but Sir
Jumel made sure that we will still be learning from him, I may not express it enough through
virtual meetings, but I am truly grateful that Sir Jumel is one of our college professors.