“Blind belief in authority is the enemy of the truth”

Albert einstein

Amidst the frequent attacks on freedom of press & expression, especially in spite of our contributor and Bacolodnon youth being recently red-tagged as a “terrorist” by a Facebook post of a military account called “Brown Eagle” (which is unfortunate, as they are using tax-payer money to bully teenagers), Paghimutad vows to push onward in delivering the news the Negrosanons and our beloved country deserve.

For more than three centuries, our forefathers from Jose Rizal to Andres Bonifacio struggled & fought for a country where all Filipinos reign in a society free & just, for a homeland liberated from foreign invaders wishing to keep us under their rule. Ever since our nation’s founding 122 years ago, the Philippines was established to be a country by the people, of the people, and for the people.

Free press has also been a founding institution of our country. Our country’s national hero, Jose Rizal, along with his colleagues established La Solidaridad where they wrote not only of the plight of the masses, the abuse of the reigning Spaniards, and ideas of liberty, but also inspired millions to revolt and dream for a better country, where Filipinos are not mere subordinates to others, but where we govern our own and promote progress for each of our kin. Such also was the Mission of Radio Veritas and the dozens of underground publications that defied Marcos’ dictatorship.

It is therefore unfortunate that the very spirit that by which the Philippines was founded on is now demonized extensively, where activists are tagged as terrorists, truth-speaking journalists are libeled as false, the marginalized & poor are persecuted, and where our very own elected officials and public servants now work for their own egocentric interests rather than the welfare of their own country, where a quarter of its 105 million people are marred by poverty.

Paghimutad and Altermidya, in a way, were founded in the same spirit as our predecessors; to report & expose the truth those in power fear will be reveal as well as to inform & educate people fully about their rights and the issues that face our nation. We cover stories that mainstream outlets often overlook and provide perspectives from the grassroots level, such as the effects of Memorandum Order 32 or environmental degradation upon the island & its people. As a result, our co-founder, Anne Krueger, was among the infamous Negros 57 raid when military raided offices of progressive groups last October 31, 2020, including the place Krueger was at that time, where a backpack containing a pistol was planted in the middle of a grass-covered front lawn. Initially, authorities raided a neighboring house after getting the address wrong and accused the neighbors of having grenades in a sugar container.

Meanwhile, the new wave of millennial and Gen-Z activism in Bacolod mostly can be traced from the “Youth for Climate Hope” coalition and environmental activism that begun when the government of Negros Occidental nearly allowed a coal-fired power plant to be set up in the province as well as pushing for a ban on plastics for the area . From a mere 11 students who formed a group called “Linghod” to spread awareness about the climate crisis, they grew until eventually around 4,000 youth showed up from different schools & converged at the Provincial Capitol to express their dissent, and were able to get Gov. Marañon to sign an executive order officially declaring Negros coal-free in March 2019.

It was also the Bacolodnon youth that spearheaded in restarting the LGBTQ+ Pride Festivities on the same year, as well as creating a “Youth for Mental Health Coalition, Inc.” event together with Bacolod representative Cong. Gastaya to spread awareness about mental health & end the stigma around such topic. The cause-oriented youth groups and/or individuals involved in these events would eventually create the “Bacolod Youth Alliance”. Before the proposal of the Anti-Terror Law on June 2020, they had not experienced any form of hostility from authorities.

In a country now facing one of its most tyrannical & ruthless strongman dictators yet, witnessing noble military & public servants forcefully ordered to terrorize communities & silence dissenters for the sake of the administration’s cronies, suffering as 27,000+ and counting have been killed with no due process in a span of four years with many more unemployed, abused, & forgotten, dying as our constitutionally mandated God-given freedoms of free speech, thought, association, & good governance disappear by a thousand cuts, it is important more than ever to #HoldTheLine and #CourageOn, with one vigilant eye, one dissenting voice, and one Filipino at a time.

Let us live up to our nation’s spirit: dahil tayo’y isang “duyan ng magiting”, ng mga matapang at matuwid na tao; kahit sinuman manlulupig, banyaga man o panatiko, di tayo pasisiil.