Feature story
The Computer Professionals Union—a World Association of Christian Communication partner—works in a country that is politically divided, and where disinformation gravely affects fisher people and farmers, among many others.
“The people who are not from either camp—people in civil society—they are the ones being targeted as well,” said Guevarra. “You might think it’s just fighting from the two camps but it’s activists they are targeting.”
He does believe AI can be used for good. “We understand that. We know that,” he said. "But the problem is, if AI is in the hands of people who aren’t using it for good, what’s going to happen to everyone else?”
In the Philippines, Guevarra described, there is a very big digital divide—a big chunk of people who have zero access.
“With the World Association of Christian Communication, with the World Council of Churches, we are trying to fight against disinformation and fight against communication being a tool for the elite as opposed to being a tool for everyone,” he explained.
Personal helicopter—“AI For Good?”
He recently attended the World Summit on the Information Society, held in Geneva from 7-11 July.
He was struck by what were actually two parallel summits gathered: one, the World Summit on the Information Society; the other, what turned out to be a much larger “AI For Good” gathering. His question: “Is what is being talked about at AI For Good the same as what is being talked about at the World Summit on the Information Society?”
He further asked: “Why are we having this bigger ‘AI For Good’ while the World Summit on the Information Society—which talks about people not being connected—becomes such a side event?”
While he reiterated his support for the concept of AI being used for “good,” a crucial question is: “Good for whom?”
Certainly not for people who still aren’t connected.
“AI For Good” is a good title, he acknowledged—but then asked: “How can this help humanity?”
The AI For Good exhibits and events were organized, for the most part by for-profit corporations.
“If you asked them: is this open source? Only a couple said it’s open source,” said Guevarra. “Who can access these? Is it everyone? Is it going to be affordable?”
Among the items on display in the “AI For Good” area were Teslas and personal helicopters.
“Really?!” exclaimed Guevarra.
He wants more people from civil society and faith-based groups to have voices at this table. “We shouldn’t put profit over people,” he said. “People should be at the forefront. We should not go there and be proud of ourselves if a lot of people are not connected.”
Raising voices
Now back home in the Philippines, he is working closely with communities to raise the level of digital literacy.
In the Philippines, there are two main SIMs (subscriber identity modules) for mobile phones. “If you have either of those SIMs, you get free Facebook,” explained Guevarra. “This means people are not connected to the internet—but they are connected to Facebook.”
And Facebook has become a playground for people in power. “That’s where they put a lot of disinformation,” he said. “People are asking us always, is that true?”
Digital security is also a challenge in the Philippines, said Guevarra. “It’s very dangerous to call out the government,” he said. “Some people are actually jailed because of that.”
The current anti-terrorism law in the Philippines has increased the fear of expressing yourself online. “Anyone can be designated a terrorist,” Guevarra said. “That’s the problem with this law.”
This means farmers who want to speak out against the government seizing their land are scared to do so, he explained.
“And for fisher people, it’s mostly about the government or big corporations trying to push them out of the waters,” Guevarra said. “Now their question is—how do we air out our concerns?”
Most of the people in the rural countryside don’t use smartphones, he said.
Part of what the Computer Professionals Union does is help people form online communities so they can speak out. One example is a campaign in the transportation sector, where there is an effort to modernize jeepneys to reduce pollution.
While on the surface it’s a good intention, the jeepneys were being phased out all at once. “Every jeepney was going to disappear, and had to be replaced by new mini buses imported from Japan,” explained Guevarra. “The problem was, jeepney drivers had to buy the new mini buses themselves—and they are very expensive.”
Guevarra helped the drivers—connecting with commuters—to create an online campaign to revise the jeepney modernization program so that drivers could survive. People posted videos and shared news.
“While there are problems faced by the communities when it comes to access, they know the importance of it—and they now know they have to be connected, and they have to apply it to their day-to-day lives,” said Guevarra. “This technology is here to stay. It’s better if you actually use it for your own good, and take your space in the digital realm.”
In the Philippines, he and his colleagues talk about how to arouse, organize, and mobilize. “How do we form campaigns? The internet and the digital realm is very, very good with the arousing part,” said Guevarra. “If you trend online, if you try find a way to break the algorithm, if you break that bubble and everyone else sees what you’re talking about, you’re going to have a better chance to reach out to more people and engage with them.”
Faith-based voices call for digital collaboration and inclusion (WCC interview, 17 July 2025)
