A wise man once said “We only ask that freedom be returned, we ask for nothing more but we will accept nothing less”, and who is that man you ask? Why, no less than the advocate of freedom of speech himself, Benigno Aquino Jr., who so bravely fought for our country’s rights alongside his equally virtuous wife, Corazon Aquino.
Ironically, their son, current President of the Republic of the Philippines, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, has approved a law that might revoke the principles his parents stood for.
The Republic Act 10175 also known as the Anti-Cybercrime Law is an act defining cybercrime, providing investigation, suppression and the imposition of penalties.
This Bill was proposed; spearheaded by Senator Edgardo J. Angara, co-authored by 36 other lawmakers.
So basically, to get the gist of this law, authorities can block access to websites deemed offensive and Internet users can be sued for libel by simply liking or sharing content that displeases or sabotages an image of a person or a group.
Many social media users especially bloggers decry the requisites of this law while others are merely calling it a bluff since they know that a law that grave would be too hard to implement on everyone, because let’s be honest, could the NBI really track down every IP Address that violates their rules?
A lot of netizens are reacting negatively to the newly passed bill, and with good reason, according to a blogger “The provisions in the law will not only expose tech savvy individuals into potential lawsuits, but also anybody not aware of the implications of their actions online”
Despite public disapproval, it is without doubt that this Bill raises some good points and is not as evil as people make it appear. Cyber bullying, doesn’t seem that big of a deal to most people but there are actually a lot of cases of cyber bullying that has led to depression, self-harm and even suicide!
A 15 year old Canadian teenager, Amanda Todd, fell victim to Cyber bullying as images of her breast circulated around the internet through an anonymous cyber bully. That shameful incident eventually led to her suicide.
You would be lying if you said that the internet hasn’t gone out of hand these days and although trolls, bashers, posers and cyber bullies are just a part of the harsh realities of the online world, it would be a little relieving to know that we now have a legal backing that should serve some real-life justice to the online baddies of the virtual world.
According to the Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda “The Cybercrime Act sought to attach responsibilities in cyberspace, although freedom of expression is always recognized it does not mean it is absolute”.
In other words, we should have limitations, and if everything sails smooth, maybe by then we could be more responsible and respectful netizens and learn to treat others as significant members of this opinionated society, and with that said, it is of your own choosing if RA10175 is a Yay? Or a Nay?
-Jill Dominique T. Nunez
(DSPC Editorial Writing, 1st Place)
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