Manila Archbishop and CMMA Honorary Chairman Jose Cardinal Advincula delivered a strong and timely message at the 47th Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA) held on November 19, 2025, at the Citystate Tower Hotel, urging media practitioners to reclaim conscience, uphold truth, and communicate hope with courage and compassion.
Addressing the attendees of this year’s CMMA, Cardinal Advincula said this year’s theme, “Share with gentleness the hope that is in your hearts,” may seem modest but carries a bold and challenging call. “It sounds simple and innocent at first glance,” he said. “But if you take a closer look, you will be surprised how strong and thought-provoking it is.”
“Makonsensiya naman kayo”
Reflecting on the First Letter of Peter (3:13–17), Cardinal Advincula said that communicating truth has never been easy. “Truth-telling, moral resistance, and countercultural behavior could cost you your reputation, your safety, even your life,” he said. “You will be maligned. You will be defamed and put to shame. But it is better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”
He added, “Your conscience must be clear. And you must be ready to render an explanation to the hope that you keep despite the corruption and filth that surround you.”
Cardinal Advincula encouraged Filipinos to revive their conscience or budhi, which he described as “our inner moral compass.”
“Maybe it’s about time we stop saying, ‘Mahiya naman kayo,’” he said. “Maybe it’s about time we begin reminding everyone, ‘Makonsensiya naman kayo.’ Pakinggan naman natin ang maliit na tinig ng Diyos na nagsasabi, ‘Mali iyan. Hindi tama iyan. Ituwid natin yan.’”
He did not hesitate to name wrongdoing plainly. “Would it be too much if we say ‘maitim ang budhi’ of people who have no mercy for others?”
Kindness is not weakness
The Cardinal stressed that the call for gentleness should never be mistaken for weakness. “Yes, be kind and be gentle,” he said. “But kindness and gentleness do not mean lame or spineless.”
“In fact,” he continued, “to practice restraint and respect in the age of anger and vitriol will take so much effort for many of us. This is where Christian hope challenges us to stay focused and composed.”
“Let us not allow ourselves to be distracted by the noise and deceptions,” he advised.
Reject both “cowardly silence” and “arrogant aggression”
Cardinal Advincula reminded communicators that their mission requires balance, discernment, and courage.
“When St. Peter said that we must explain ourselves with gentleness and reverence, he wanted us to reject two extreme positions: cowardly silence and arrogant aggression,” he explained.
“To give hope today, we must continue to engage, to dialogue, and to discern. There is time for silence and introspection. There is time to speak out the truth in love.”
“When we take a stand, we do so with a clear conscience. Not from an agenda. Not from self-interest,” he added.
“We are deeply divided and highly vindictive”
The Cardinal described the current media environment: “Our media landscape in the Philippines today is often marked by harassment and trolling, disinformation and threats, polarization and pressure,” he said.
“Not only are we deeply divided; we are also highly vindictive. We tend to dehumanize and demonize those who do not belong to our group, to our party or tribe.”
He urged Filipinos to return to their core value of kapwa. “We seem to have conveniently forgotten that our core value as a people is kapwa and pakikipagkapwa. We admire people who are ‘mabuti ang kalooban, may prinsipyo at may paninindigan.’”
A call to media: “We will not stop until the truth comes out”
To the CMMA finalists and winners, the Cardinal delivered one of the evening’s most compelling messages:
“We would be remiss in our mission and purpose if we are not ready to hold people accountable for their lies and trickeries,” he said. “Our time calls for reckoning and accounting.”
He affirmed the commitment expected of Christian communicators. “We will not stop until the truth comes out. We will never be tired in pursuing justice and restitution. We will not trade integrity for favor or self-interest.”
He concluded by congratulating the honorees and reminding them of their mission. “May you embody the hope that you report. May you guard the truth you disseminate. May you uphold the dignity of the people that you serve.”
The 47th CMMA continues its mission of honoring media that inspire, enlighten, and uphold the highest moral values, a mission Cardinal Advincula says is more urgent today than ever.
CMMA was established in 1978 by the late Jaime Cardinal Sin to honor media that uplifts faith and values. In 1999, stewardship of the awards was entrusted to the late Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua, whose dedication strengthened its mission. Today, that legacy continues under the leadership of its current chairman, D. Edgard A. Cabangon.
 held on November 19, 2025, at the Citystate Tower Hotel, urging media practitioners to reclaim conscience, uphold truth, and communicate hope with courage and compassion.){kind=link}