Last year, my social media account was hacked when I mistakenly clicked a suspicious link in an email. I received scam text messages almost every day from then on, and a lot of people have experienced the same fate in the last two years. 

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The pandemic brought a lot of misinformation and disinformation, or the so-called 'fake news', which many believed to be true. It brought fear, panic and disrupted our daily lives. Although digital misinformation and disinformation existed even before, social media makes it easier to produce, spread, and multiply.  

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These situations encouraged me to join the ASEAN Digital Literacy Programme (ADLP), a regional programme by ASEAN Foundation and Google.org which aims to combat misinformation and disinformation by providing digital literacy training program to vulnerable sectors,  as one of the Master Trainers. 

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I wanted to learn more about the knowledge and skill sets needed to fight misinformation. More than that, I wanted to share the knowledge with my family and community.

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Training the Next Digital Literacy Champions

During the #DigiTalino Training sessions, I found joy in what I was doing because I saw how the participants were learning and how they pledged to apply what they learned in their daily lives. All participants, young and old, could relate to and understand the curriculum, making it easy for them to actively participate in the sessions. There was not a single moment where they felt bored. They were anticipating the next lesson until the end. They were even asking if there would be a #DigiTalino Training 2.0. 

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One of the remarkable participants was the Youth Advocates of Dipolog City and the SK officials of Poblacion, Polanco. The training not only equipped them as digital literacy warriors but also as leaders who encouraged more young people to join the fight.

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Another remarkable participant is Sir Nerio, a senior citizen of Barangay Anastacio, Polanco. As senior citizens commonly become victims of scams and fake news today, Sir Nerio invited me to give the training to 99 more seniors. They were glad to learn how to combat misinformation and disinformation as they navigate their way through digital inclusion among older people.

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#DigiTalino also caters to other vulnerable sectors as this training became a learning opportunity for children in conflict with the law at the Regional Rehabilitation Center for Youth. This access to information recognizes their rights to continuously connect to the world, an integral part of their freedom of expression. After actively participating, they pledged to apply their learning inside and when after they will become free.

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A Journey of Re-Discovery

On a more personal note, ADLP was also a journey for me to re-discover my gifts of teaching and facilitating as well as events organizing and collaborating with partners from the government and the private sector. I was able to reach out, teach and mentor different groups and individuals from Barangay officials, kids, parents, teachers, senior citizens, and even children in conflict with the law in Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga Peninsula.

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After the training, I started to share my knowledge and skills with my husband and children. My family fully supported me in all my sessions with different communities. Digital literacy has then become a family activity and advocacy. We believe that ADLP is relevant in this hour and the knowledge can bring brightness and intelligence for ourselves and for other people.

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Through ADLP, fighting against misinformation and disinformation empowers us to grow in character. It steers us to tell the truth and stand up for the truth by reporting dubious claims online and suspicious troll accounts. It encourages us to think critically, validating data coming from reliable sources and weighing things before making a comprehensive decision on a certain matter. It motivates us to protect ourselves and others from scams and frauds by attending fact-checking activities and webinars. It makes us respectful to our fellowmen the way we want to be respected and treated. It emphasizes the importance of digital well-being. 

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I am grateful to Limitless Lab, the ASEAN Foundation, Google.org and Break the Fake Movement for this great opportunity and honor to be part of ADLP. We were given all the needed support while the materials were excellent and of world-class quality.

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Truly, ADLP is one of the ways for Filipinos to become responsible digital citizens. Such initiatives raise the bar of digital literacy in our community and country, but there is still a long way to go against misinformation and disinformation. Let us look for more ways to compassionately and patiently educate others. We must always remember, fighting for digital well-being is still everyone’s battle.