30/10/2022
By Risa Hontiveros
Just In case you are wondering why Leni Robredo is lecturing in Harvard about democracy and disinformation, it’s because our country has been the focal study of several prominent western schools and think tanks regarding the effect of disinformation and misinformation on democracy.
A very prestigious educational institution like Harvard won’t just let any lecturer come in and discuss a topic that they like. It’s Harvard, not Recto. Everything is properly planned and the purpose is always spot on.
The Philippines is a matter of educational and social interest because..
1) Our world-renowned 1986 peaceful revolution was able to oust a dictator and we won our DEMOCRACY back, but;
2) how just after just 30+ years, why did Filipinos re-elected the son of the same dictator they once ousted.
Scholars are curious on how DISINFORMATION, and historical revisionism as its subset, played a role in this turn of events.
The Philippines has been one of the longest democratic countries in Asia. We're also the acknowledged world’s social media capital. To talk about the ill effects of disinformation on democracy in any country, the Philippines is the perfect fit.
Leni is the perfect resource person for this topic because for the longest time she had been both the intended target and receiver of fake news and disinformation propaganda. Listening to someone who actually experienced them first hand is very meaningful for both students and scholars.
Hands down, Leni Robredo is the best lecturer on the ill effects of . No other Filipino qualifies as much as her so please do not portray it as a political propaganda of the so-called Dilawans and Pinklawans because this is purely an academic endeavor.
BBM spoke to the UNGA, supposedly to a bigger crowd in a hallowed venue. Let Leni, an invited private citizen, do her own thing in Harvard.
