The Philippines needs a multisectoral approach in advancing media and data literacy (MIL),aimed toward shaping informed and critical-thinking Filipinos, media tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan said onTuesday, amid the growing threat of disinformation within the country.
“First, we want the federal government to champion MIL as a core policy initiative, integrating it into nationalsecurity, education, and technology,” MediaQuest Chairman Pangilinan said in his speech at thePhilippine MIL Conference (MILCon) 2025.
“Second, we want the business sector, not only media firms, but all firms to integrate MILinto their corporate social responsibility frameworks,” he added, underscoring the necessity to take a position intraining, tools, and workplaces that train employees with MIL.
Universities and schools must even be responsible in shaping students who can “query bravely andthink fastidiously” to remind the those who freedom of expression comes with an obligation, Mr.Pangilinan said.
“We at all times speak of nation-building when it comes to bridges, towers, fiber, power plants, steel, and iron. Butthe truest foundation of a democracy is neither certainly one of those — it’s truth,” he said.
“People misled cannot move forward, however the people informed can’t be defeated,” he added.
By advocating for the “truth in media” through initiatives like MILCon, he hopes to enable Filipinos to bemore discerning with the media outlets they trust and the content they eat. “At the top of theday, it’ll be the buyer of media who will likely drive this desire to know the reality in anything youread, you watch, otherwise you see,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the event.
“You’ve gotten to be selective in what you possibly can consider in as to be true. It’s going to be a guide for youracademic life or for your enterprise profession,” he added.
Social media has emerged as a primary source of data for people across the globe, UNESCOJakarta Director Maki Katsuno-Hayashikawa said.
“Day-after-day, people watch greater than a billion hours of video on YouTube, and almost 3 billion useFacebook often as a primary source of data concerning the world,” she said at the identical event.“Globally, 20% of the 18 to 24-year-olds use TikTok as their predominant source of stories,” she added.
Within the Philippines, a report by the Reuters Institute revealed that 66% of the respondents use socialmedia for news weekly. The study added that Facebook stays a ‘critical’ medium for news in thecountry, while younger audiences and creators depend on TikTok.
NOT JUST TROLLS
MediaQuest Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Cignal President Jane Jimenez-Basas said that thesignificant variety of Filipinos using social media for news further presses the necessity for MIL.“The enemy has evolved; it is not any longer just fighting trolls within the comment section,” she said in herspeech. “It’s fighting the highly sophisticated threat of synthetic media, deep fakes, and algorithmic biasthat can warp political outcomes and destroy trust in seconds.”
The MediaQuest executive underscored that the recent functional literacy report from the SecondCongressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) mirrors the state of MIL within the country.
“Without strong literacy and comprehension skills, these children are highly vulnerable tomisinformation, manipulation, and the failure to have interaction critically with what they encounter online andoffline.”
Functionally illiterate Filipinos have doubled to 24.8 million over the past 30 years, in keeping with a reportby EDCOM 2.
The commission said the rise in functional illiteracy stems partly from the Department ofEducation’s (DepEd) involvement in too many interagency bodies, which has diverted its focus frombasic education.
Mr. Pangilinan also raised his concerns concerning the widening literacy gap and warned against corruptionthat could further worsen the situation.
“It’s a significant issue, and it won’t help that you just reduce the budget for education and move it tosomebody as you are taking money from the numerous and insert it into the pockets of the few,” he said during apanel discussion.
“The temptation to shortcut may be very high. Especially if you need to attain a certain level of wealth in yourlife,” he added.
START AT THE TOP
By way of coping with corruption inside organizations, addressing the issue must begin on the“top,” said Mr. Pangilinan.
“The answer is to start out at the highest because you can not wipe out corruption in a single go,” he said. “Startwith big-ticket items. Forget concerning the petty crimes first because that’s hard to cope with – it’s endemicwithin the system.”
“If you start with the massive amount first, then slowly work right down to the center layer, then the bottomlayer, this is able to take years… It’s been around for quite a while,” he added.
The DepEd said in an official statement on Tuesday that it calls for “full and sustained funding” for alleducation mandates to handle the country’s literacy challenges.
“With the support of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., we’re aligning resources, streamliningfunctions, and specializing in what matters most — foundational learning and literacy recovery,” it said.
The department has proposed a P928.52 billion budget for 2026 to handle classroom shortages,student malnutrition, and the shortage of educational materials nationwide. — Almira Louise S. Martinez