Throughout my teaching career I have encountered potential fiction writers in the form of students explaining their absences—they exaggerate stories in an effort to make them believable. For instance, they may claim bereavement services since Filipinos have a soft spot for emotional stories. There is also a habit of not questioning the idea as that person may need time to cope with their loss. Real or imaginary, such stories are compelling and, with a good enough backstory, emotion end up overpowering facts.

Narco-serye
The “narco-serye” revealed by Peter Joemel Advincula (a.k.a. Bikoy) that claimed Davao City second district Rep. Paolo Duterte and Senator Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go led the so-called Tausug drug group ran wild on social media. According to his “Ang Totoong Narco List,” he used to scan Duterte and Go’s supposed syndicate tattoos and claimed the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte was behind the drug charges filed against Senator Leila de Lima.
However, like in every story, there is a plot twist. Bikoy later retracted his statements and accused administration opponents and members of the clergy of masterminding a destabilization plot against the president. The story became solid ground for discrediting the Catholic Church and administration opposition.

Senate soap opera
Much like the practice of McCarthyism, where accusations of treason are casually launched at certain individuals, attempts to silence young critics of the Duterte administration came through Senate hearings claiming students were being kidnapped by activist groups. Legislators invited the parents of activists to speak on the recruitment practices of leftist organizations.
“We are here voluntarily because these organizations are coddling their children and they have grown desperate because [these] groups have not heeded their pleas,” affirmed Senator Ronald dela Rosa.
The government is afraid of progressive groups questioning the administration’s programs and leadership despite the military being the current power bloc of the Duterte government.
Additionally, the stories of reformed insurgents reinforces the claims that leftwing groups are associated with the New People’s Army.

Cardema’s dramatics
Ronald Cardema, the nominee for Duterte Youth partylist representative, claimed to be a victim of political manipulation when he accused Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rowena Guanzon of seeking favors in exchange for the party’s accreditation. As of August 5, the Comelec First Division canceled his nomination due to “material misrepresentation” of his age. Section 4 of RA 8044, or The Youth in Nation-Building Act, defines “youth” as “Persons whose ages ranges from fifteen to thirty years old”—the nominee (with a receding hairline) is four years over the maximum.
Meanwhile, Guanzon claimed she had received threats from Cardema’s camp, which he quickly dismissed and countered by saying Guanzon had them “by the necks” for months.
Cardema’s narrative is a story of desperation for a political position. Upon disqualification, he claimed to represent the “professional sector,” despite having neither a college education nor profession.
Our brain works on narratives that have something to do with our beliefs; in this case, it’s partisanship.
Based on information theory, we can hold on to a shorter story because it is factual but the brain does not work that way; there is a greater emphasis on “meaning.” Objectively speaking, narratives are irrelevant but irresistible; they shape everything into meaningful stories despite distorting reality, which impacts decision-making.
To combat this stigma, question the stories—what are they trying to hide?” Ask who is the sender and what are their intentions. As a former philosophy professor once said: “Always look at the cracks in the text;” the omitted elements might not be of relevance but they might be pertinent to specific portions of the story.
The real issue with stories is they give us a false sense of understanding, which inevitably leads us to take more significant risks and failure to see the forest for the trees.

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Comments and suggestions are welcome at sensei.adorador@chmsc.edu.ph/WDJ