Von Valdepenas says “No” to the Cybercrime Law

These days, kids and adults of any age are hooked to what the internet has to offer, especially the joy of chatting and catching up with friends via social media sites and blog sites. Those have also been a channel for them to share their thoughts and sometimes rant about anything.

The internet has also allowed us to grab an array of freebies; from  albums of our favorite singers to full episodes of our favorite series. This freedom also led to exposure to some illegal and obscene contents such as pornography.

According to our country’s government, the fact that the internet is uncontrollable as it is was the reason why they came to a conclusion to appeal a Cybercrime Law, which led to a protest from a lot of netizens, especially the youth, claiming that the said law would likely be an internet “martial law” and shatter their freedom of speech.

When this law is fully implemented, the government would constantly monitor the internet, including posts and comments on social networking sites. If there would be an instance that a senator would see comments against him, he will have the right to sue the persons involved, including those who “liked” and agreed to the post, for libel, where the “suspects” would have to pay thousands of pesos or be sent to prison for 12 years. 

Although the Cybercrime law does have a few good points such as the prevention of pornography and piracy, what the people are mostly worried about is the fact that their freedom to express would be obsolete. Our country is supposed to be democratic! The internet is the channel most used to voice out; of course the netizens would be angry and devastated.

When one thinks about it, it is a tad disappointing that our president agreed to such a law, considering that his mother brought democracy back to our country as his father fought and died for it. It would be like the martial law all over again! 

It’s funny that the government would spend a lot of money for a law like this one, instead of using it to build schools or clean the rivers to prevent floods; something that would help improve our country’s economy! I think our government officials should prioritize our country more than their reputation; after all, that is what they signed up for.

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