38 years of believing truth shall prevail

MANILA, Philippines — Every day for almost four decades, The STAR has printed “Truth Shall Prevail” on its front page.

Having truth literally at the front and center of what we do is a constant reminder of what we are building toward. It can be easy to lose sight of our North Star when we never stop bearing witness to falsehoods and living in its consequences.

It is something the paper believes, from the day of its inception to now, on the day of its 38th year. Truth shall prevail.

In celebration of The STAR’s 38th anniversary this July, we reaffirm our mission with We Believe, a special supplement in print and online. It is a call for readers to look more closely at what they believe; an invitation for thinkers to share what they believe will improve the lives of Filipinos; and, most importantly, an exercise in hope.

Thirty-eight artists, educators, writers, musicians, filmmakers, and more came together to freely, wildly dream – to be optimistic in an
 increasingly cynical world. A genealogist believes social media, often blamed for frying users’ brains, can help young people find joy in learning. A film and TV actress believes in changing her industry for the next generation of talent. A climate campaigner believes a plastic-free society is possible, despite our seemingly inescapable reliance on single-use plastics.

Pangasinan’s 4th District Rep. Christopher de Venecia believes in the hidden strength of our creative industries, writing, “We’ve always known Filipinos to be insanely creative. Walk through any karaoke joint, tune into a reality show, log on to TikTok, or simply turn on the news and you’re bound to hear of a Filipino creative making waves.”

We must now harness this creativity to imagine worlds far greater than what we have learned to dream of. This anniversary special, released today on the exact birth date of the paper, is a plea to believe in a better Philippines and a more just world. It is a plea to believe that the truth shall prevail, in spite.

For 38 years, The Philippine STAR has never backed away from this challenge. We have no plans of stopping now.