Asian Liberals commit to advocate for truth-telling, protection in defense of democracy

ILOILO CITY – Asian Liberals and Democrats from eight countries in the region committed to advocate for truth-telling and protection on the last day of the two-day conference on building a democratic coalition against disinformation.

At the 14th General Assembly of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD), delegates from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Mongolia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, and the Philippines adopted a declaration agreeing to “take appropriate action to reclaim lost or damaged democratic spaces.”

CALD delegates resolved to “adopt truth-telling and protection as an advocacy” and “combat disinformation” concerns in digital infrastructure, education, culture and arts, and democratic institutions and processes. They also vowed to reconvene to report on concrete progress in the effort.

At the same time, Senator Risa Hontiveros said in her keynote address that making democracy real to people is the challenge democracy advocates must face to successfully defend it against disinformation.

“We have a monumental challenge ahead of us — the challenge of altering the political equilibrium, which in the last six years, has been stacked against us…We should coalesce with and support each other in making democracy real, not just politically, but economically and socio-culturally as well…We now have the prime opportunity to finally restore a democracy that is truly felt by all,” Hontiveros said.

The sitting opposition senator encouraged conference participants to organize similar gatherings that include people with different views.

“Crucially, we have to admit that for far too long we have been each other’s sounding board that perhaps sometimes we couldn’t recognize our own prejudices, our own blind spots. If we were to have any chance at fighting disinformation, if we were to strengthen our love and belief in democracy, we must ensure that our actions and conversations in conferences like this, in spaces like this… do not stop among ourselves,” Hontiveros said.

CALD chairperson Kiko Pangilinan, meanwhile, noted that the “social, political, and cultural upheaval that took place in the campaign for the May 2022 national elections…[which] saw an unprecedented outpouring of support, creativity, courage, and bravery on the part of the Filipino people who came out in the hundreds of thousands to support our…Pink Revolution” is a huge positive indication that disinformation can be defeated.

Pangilinan said the inspired people mobilized in the elections can be used to organize a broader, bigger, more structured, more methodical multi-stakeholder coalition to address disinformation.

“As a farmer I believe what we did in the last campaign was sowing seeds of change that in time shall see a bountiful harvest. And thus we will push on. What we witnessed in the last campaign was the fire burning in the hearts of our people, most especially among the youth for good governance, accountable leadership, and the truth. It is that fire that we shall together safeguard and protect. And in due time the flame of democracy, liberalism, and effective leadership shall become a wildfire that shall engulf not just our nation but Asia,” he said.

CALD founding chairperson Butch Abad agreed with Hontiveros and Pangilinan that “support for a broader approach” is needed to defeat disinformation. He said this approach needs, among others, to include making social media platforms accountable and organizing digital literacy programs that enable young people to engage positively in online investigation.

“The challenge ahead is complex…Democracy must be more real and meaningful to people…[to address deep problems in] wealth distribution, poverty, and inequality…that make people extremely vulnerable to agitation by extremist and false narratives,” Abad said at the conclusion of the international conference on disinformation and democracy.