Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano has urged Filipinos to establish firm principles as they navigate an information environment increasingly shaped by personal preferences, artificial intelligence and the rapid spread of misinformation.
Speaking at the Teaching Series event “Unchanging Truth in a Changing World” on Saturday, Nov. 7, Cayetano said being open to new knowledge should not mean abandoning basic principles that help people distinguish facts from opinions.
“We grew up in a world where things were more definite, right and wrong. What they told us was right was not always really right, and what they told us was wrong was most probably wrong. Ang point ko lang po, wala masyadong relativity noon,” Cayetano said.
He acknowledged that scientific discoveries and technological advances continue to change people’s understanding of the world. However, he said these developments should not make fundamental principles relative or leave individuals to determine truth solely according to personal preferences.
Cayetano observed that people increasingly rely on their own definitions of correctness, happiness and identity, making it more difficult to distinguish facts from opinions.
“Everything was about clarity in school. This is correct, that’s wrong. Now, it’s all about what you want. What your happiness is. What you think you are, is correct,” he said.
He used the example of measurement to explain why people need an established point of reference before making judgments.
“If you don’t have a foundation, or even in the measurement, as the engineers or the technical people, you have to have a point of preference before you can make a measurement,” he added.
Cayetano encouraged participants to use biblical teachings as their foundation for discernment, saying access to information alone does not guarantee that people can identify what is true.
“We really have to discern. There’s no problem discerning when you are rooted in the Word of God. The problem with discerning, and you’re not rooted in the Word of God, you go back to fake news,” he said.
He also emphasized the importance of making religious teachings accessible and translating them into practical lessons that people can apply in their daily lives.
“When we hold on to God’s word, for example, when you say, we are healed by the Lord Jesus, you have to imagine it now,” Cayetano said.
📷 Media courtesy of Inquirer.net
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