History Check ✔

STOP! Before you continue reading the rest of my blog post, ask yourself this one import question first. ‘Are you an information literate?’. If your answer is yes, then congrats! You are not of those people who can be easily fooled by fake news. But if your answer is no, don’t be sad nor proud. It’s not too late to change. From now on, you must promise yourself not to believe anything you read on the internet unless you have check it thoroughly. Yes, it takes time, but as a HUMSS student, I must say that we should free ourselves from the non-stop fake news scattered all over the internet. Being information literate is not just about knowing what is true and wat is not, but also knowing how to properly use all the information we can find.

One good practice is figuring out whether everything in Aquino-Cojuangco| FACTS THEY DON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW video is true or just a fake news. The said video was uploaded on YouTube in year 2011. If you haven’t watched the video, try watching it. If yes, tell me how convinced you were while watching. Sharing my own experience, it was during our discussion when our teacher made us watched a 15-minute video. I was very convinced at that moment, and if I did not do any research, I might have shared and believed the wrong info by this time. To start off, let us discuss the undying story of Cojuangco-Luna affair. There was this rumor saying that Ysidra Cojuangco was Gen. Antonio Luna’s girlfriend. At that time, Gen. Luna was in-charged for providing security for the convoys who was carrying the millions of worth revolutionary treasures. Before Gen. Luna died it was said that he transported it from Ilocos Treasury & Government of Pampanga to Paniqui, Tarlac. After Luna’s assassination, the revolutionary treasure suddenly disappeared. Nobody can find it, even the Americans. Most of the people believed the gossip saying that Gen. Luna gave it to Ysidra Cojuangco. At first, I was astonished. I found the story great. It’s like one of those stories you can read in novels. Nevertheless, no matter how much amazing the story was, there are no proofs to prove that it happened. I have read tons of articles. Few says it was true, and few says it was nothing but a rumor. I am puzzled, but as an information literate, I must know how to analyze those articles carefully. There was this article that convinced me that the Cojuangco-Luna affair is nothing but a myth. Ambeth Ocampo. Does this name ring a bell? Ambeth Ocampo is a Filipino historian, professor, award-winning columnist, and book author. He said that Aguinaldo government was very meticulous in recording revolutionary funds. And if the money was really given to Ysidra Cojuangco, why aren’t there any document to support it? As Ambeth Ocampo said: “History is based on written records, not gossip or hearsay. As the late Teodoro Agoncillo used to say: “No document, no history!”.

Another big issue included in Baron Buchokoy’s video is the Hacienda Luisita. As we all know, the issue of Hacienda Luisita came before generation Z babies were even born. For us to know whether the information on the video are all true, let us tackle how did the Cojuangco became the owner of Hacienda Luisita. Spanish owners of Tabacalera wanted to sell Azucarera in Tarlac. Even though the Lopez clan wanted to buy it, late President Ramon Magsaysay offered it to Jose Cojuangco Jr., late President Cory Aquino’s father. The Philippine government agreed to loan them dollars to purchase Azucarera. Inline with that, they must follow the 2 (two) conditions: (1) Along with Azucarera, they must purchase the Hacienda Luisita too. (2) After 10 years, 6,400 hectares must be given to its small farmers. 10 (ten) years after the purchase, no land was distributed. Farmers formed groups and continued asking for land distribution. Marcos government asked for follow-ups, but still, no land was distributed. Even after Marcos filed case against Cojuangco, no land was distributed. Years have passed, and when Cory Aquino became the president, the case was dismissed by the Court of Appeals since the Department of Agrarian Reform and the GSIS, including the Central Bank, did not object to the motion to dismiss the case. The story of Hacienda Luisita does not just end there. Mendiola and Luisita Massacre were one of the results of the never-ending issue of Hacienda Luisita. It was sad and tragic, but it all goes down on Philippine history now. Moving on, let us now proceed to Cory’s new land reform. The said new land reform exempted Hacienda Luisita from being distributed to the farmers. (Read here to learn more about the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law or Republic Act no. 6657.)

According to the video, the 1987 constitution is very flawed. They also stated that it was made by and made for the oligarchs. I have read an article from rappler saying that the 1987 constitution is flawed and there’s a need for it to be revised. Nevertheless, the author stated there that now isn’t the right time to change it. Another article from Manila Bulletin says that the 1987 Constitution is flawed and fragmentary. If the 1987 Constitution is flawed and badly needs revision, why are there no actions regarding this? Is it because it is favorable for the oligarchs? Or is it simply because we still have no solution for this problem? No matter what the answer is, it is evident that the 1987 Constitution has its flaws.

Another information seen on Baron Buchokoy’s video is the SCTEX (Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway). Number 1 (one) issue on SCTEX is that the farmers were not given their 33% share in the P83 million the government paid the Hacienda Luisita, Inc for road right-of-way to build the Luisita interchange. Farmers were gives 3% of the payment, while the other remaining 30% was used to pay Hacienda Luisita, Inc.’s (HLI) debt. Second (2) issue was that the government assumed the cost of building the P170-million Luisita interchange for the Cojuangcos’ privately owned industrial park inside Hacienda Luisita.Usually, owners of private properties pays the government to have exits from the highway. Third (3) issue was that the payment of P83 million or right-of-way was overpriced. P83 million for 83 hectares means P100 per square meter according to Remulla. Remulla said, that time, price of farmland in Tarlac ranges only from P6 to P8 per square meter.

After doing some research, I therefore conclude that not everything in Baron Buchokoy’s video is true. Yes, half of the video’s content is correct, but still, there’s this one information that cannot be considered as true because it lacks evidence. And that is the Cojuangco’s wealth is from the revolutionary funds of the Philippines. Until no document will support this idea, or gossip, this story will always remain as a myth.

Being information literate is one of the characteristics everybody should have. As my teacher told us, from the moment we wake up, to the moment before we sleep, we continuously receive information. We are fed with too much info and that doesn’t mean we are going to believe it all. We must carefully analyze the information we are receiving, and we must learn how to properly use it. In social media platforms, especially in Facebook, fake news will always be present. People who makes fake news will try to catch your attention by using overacting titles, and so, you must first read the whole content before reacting or sharing it. Being information literate is not worthless. Trying to analyze whether that information is true or not is not boring. Avoiding ignorance is not senseless thing to do at all. Remember that everything starts with you. If you will start preventing fake news to circulate, soon, everybody will do the same too. Let us be wiser, so no fool will ever try to fool us.

References

28 years of agrarian reform in Hacienda Luisita. (2016, July 12). Retrieved from https://thelasallian.com/2016/07/12/28-years-of-agrarian-reform-in-hacienda-luisita/

Affairs, G. N. (n.d.). Holding on: A Hacienda Luisita timeline from the Spanish to the Noynoy eras. Retrieved from https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/198854/holding-on-a-hacienda-luisita-timeline-from-the-spanish-to-the-noynoy-eras/story/

FilipiKnow. (2019, April 13). Inside Antonio Luna’s Secret Love Affair With Ysidra Cojuangco. Retrieved from https://filipiknow.net/antonio-luna-affair-with-ysidra-cojuangco/

GMA News Online. (1970, January 01). The SCTEx issue. Retrieved from https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/specialreports/183665/the-sctex-issue/story/

Guzman, N. D. (1970, January 01). The Bloody Mendiola Massacre Took Place 32 Years Ago Today. Retrieved from https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/the-bloody-mendiola-massacre-took-place-32-years-today-a1729-20190122-lfrm2

Lazaro, M. M. (2018, February 9). The flawed and fragmentary 1987 Constitution. Retrieved from https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/02/09/the-flawed-and-fragmentary-1987-constitution-3/