Truth Under Fire: MILCON 2025 Empowers Zion Students for Truth

“Ito pong Media Literacy ay napakahalaga because how can a country progress if it cannot even agree on the facts?” 

Thus said Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV at the Philippine Media and Information Literacy Conference (MILCON) 2025, held last November 4 at the SMX Convention Center in SM Aura.  

Themed “Truth Under Fire,” the conference aimed to empower every Filipino to stay critical and vigilant in the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and information disorder. Grade 12 students attended MILCON 2025 as part of their Media and Information Literacy (MIL) subject. 

As the keynote speaker, Aquino acknowledged the importance of MIL as a necessity for every Filipino, as well as addressing the fundamentals in our country. The senator also highlighted the youth’s role as future voters in shaping the nation’s future by demanding accountability and resisting the normalization of corruption. “Our demographic is a demographic that will lead to change. I ask especially the young people here not to lose hope in our country—not to lose hope in the many challenges that we face,” he concluded. 

Earlier in the day, MediaQuest and Cignal President Jane Jimenez-Basas shared the conference’s goal to help build a sustainable MIL community through her opening remarks. “Our commitment to MIL is a long-term investment in the nation’s stability and future,” she shared. “MIL is everybody’s business.”

The conference featured three panel sessions on education, media, and technology, featuring guests from the Department of Education,  civic society organizations, media companies, and international organizations. 

The education panel emphasized that MIL should be taught early to foster and practice critical thinking, and for it to be integrated as a set of competencies into all subjects, with teachers playing key roles in its effective implementation.

The media panel, on the other hand, focused on the importance of verifying online news and observing digital hygiene in the midst of all the falsehoods being shared today. 

Meanwhile, the technology panel warned that as AI expands access to information, scams, false narratives, and harmful content also spread, urging participants to pause before sharing and choose platforms that help filter the content they encounter.

To wrap up the conference, Malabon and Quezon City were officially named as pilot MIL cities in the Philippines. MediaQuest Chair Manuel Pangilinan then issued a call to action to the participants to defend the truth as democracy’s truest foundation. 

Zion students expressed their appreciation for the conference. Sofia Caylen Cordova shared, “The MILCON enabled me to gain a deeper understanding of the importance of developing MIL competencies as a vital life skill, especially in today’s digital age. In a time where fake news and artificial intelligence are increasingly widespread, embracing MIL serves as an essential tool in empowering, strengthening, and equipping ourselves as discerning citizens of this country.”

MILCON 2025 was pioneered by ThinKaMuna Pilipinas, Mediaquest’s MIL advocacy campaign, in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization to empower Filipinos to stay critical and vigilant in the age of AI and disinformation.