University News

Campus journalists join GMA Masterclass: Eleksyon 2025 Dapat Totoo Series

Jhervhee Ramos, Nicole Magnaye, News, PUP Campus Journalists

The GMA Masterclass: Eleksyon 2025 Dapat Totoo Series Forum, a talk series discussing the important role of responsible journalism during election season, concluded its NCR leg which was participated by the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) alongside 18 academic institutions from the said region. It was held at the Jose Rizal University (JRU) Centennial Hall on March 12.

Award-winning journalists and media personalities from GMA Network shared their knowledge and expertise to equip the youth with all the necessary tools to critically assess information and distinguish facts from fake news, echoing the series’ tagline “Dapat Totoo”.

“Dapat Totoo” during this Midyear Election 2025
The series started in 2018 as part of GMA’s Panata-Kontra Fake News campaign nationwide, emphasizing the critical importance of youth engagement in combating the dissemination of misinformation and disinformation as the 2025 midterm elections unfold.

In collaboration with GMA Regional TV and Synergy, the Masterclass’ line-up includes Howie Severino, Atom Araullo, Sandra Aguinaldo, Karen Tiongson-Mayrina, Theodore Ortiz, and Bea Gomez, who all shared their valuable insights and expertise.

Although the esteemed speakers tackled different themes–social media in the age of misinformation, data about Filipino voters, technology in media, and their experiences in their fields, they all urged the attendees to wield their power in changing the nation through participating in the upcoming elections.

“It is in this spirit that we hope, through this Masterclass, we can help awaken everyone’s sense of patriotism so we can assert our inherent responsibility as Filipinos — the responsibility to exercise our right to vote so that we can choose the leaders who can bring us down the road to the Philippines that enables its people to be self-governing.” Senior Vice President and Head of GMA Integrated News, Regional TV, and Synergy Oliver Victor B. Amoroso said.

Severino also shared in his lecture that freedom and technology are powerful tools, and that social media is not the enemy but rather the people who use it to spread lies. To him, with the dissemination of fake news fueling the already tense elections in the Philippines, always checking sources and having a resibo mentality are the weapons as digital natives (a person born or brought up during the age of digital technology).

The Urgent Call for Panata Kontra Fake-News
According to GMA Integrated News Research, 63% of voters for the 2025 midterm elections are composed of the Millennials and Gen-Z population. Therefore, it is essential to train them to carefully inspect the information they are absorbing, particularly when their main source of news is the Internet.

PUP students who have participated in the event shared this notion, Marianne Policarpio, a first-year Bachelor in Secondary Education major in Mathematics (BSEd-MT) student and member of the official student publication of the PUP College of Education (CoEd) The Limestone, stated “Maraming tao, lalo na ang kabataan, ang naaapektuhan ng misinformation at social media influence, kaya mahalaga ang ganitong discussions para maging mas critical at responsible tayong mga botante.Hindi lang ito tungkol sa pagboto, kundi sa pag-unawa sa mga isyu na makakaapekto sa ating future.”

(“Many people, especially the youth, are affected by misinformation and social media influence, which is why discussions like this are important for us to become more critical and responsible voters. This is not just about voting but also about understanding the issues that will impact our future.”)

For Tim Archie Lozano, a first-year Bachelor of Arts in Broadcasting (BABR) student and member of the official student publication of the PUP College of Communication (COC) The Communicator, fake news and sensationalized reporting having the upper hand presents a tough reality. With the spread of disinformation and misinformation on social media getting wider, he is aware that sharing news in the congested space of online media is a formidable task. But as a student and campus journalist, he embraces the responsibility to stand with the truth for our nation.

“We now live in a digital age where people get their information online and doubt the news. Of course, as a student journalist, this is a hurtful fact. Pero bilang alagad ng midya kailangan nating sumabay sa pagbabago at patuloy pa ring gawin ang tungkulin sa bayan.” Lozano said.

(“We now live in a digital age where people get their information online and doubt the news. Of course, as a student journalist, this is a painful reality. But as members of the media, we must adapt to change and continue fulfilling our duty to the nation.”)

The advancement of technology made sharing news and information more seamless, but it also opened the gates for false information to proliferate. Fighting for truth amid algorithms, artificial intelligence, and other technological advancements cannot be won by a single person. Therefore, open discussions such as the GMA Masterclass for PUP students and the University itself, are essential to continuously rally the youth’s vital role in participating toward a fair election in the country’s 2025 Midyear Elections.

_{(Note: English translation generated from AI.)}