About The Newly-Passed Anti-Cyber Crime Law In The Philippines

An Anti-Cyber Crime Law was recently passed this October here in the Philippines. It’s nice that such a law is now in effect to prevent criminals and would-be criminals from exploiting the internet as a medium for their unlawful acts. However, some ‘insertions’ to that law are being questioned by freedom-loving Filipinos. The anti-libel provisions and, also, the super-police power given to government agencies to easily arrest those who are suspected of committing defamatory statements on the internet without court orders are unfair articles that have been inserted in the recently-passed Anti-Cyber Crime Law. Such provisions of the said law clearly violate the freedom of speech in the Philippines. The internet is now a “commonplace” where people meet, mingle, communicate, make new friends and express opinions on various topics, issues and news. The said provisions will make our politicians, aristocrats and celebrities become very powerful since the law will automatically favor them in whatever topic that may pop up from any public issue that involves them. Such is unfair since it means the law only favors the POWERFUL, the RICH and the FAMOUS here in the Philippines. Ordinary folks using the internet would now be easily castigated and penalized for merely expressing their opinions. 

I think it’s only proper that the Philippine nation has Anti-Cyber Crime Law. We must have a law that will penalize criminals who are utilizing the internet as a device that can broaden and aid their unlawful activities. Also, some sex-perverts are using the internet to prey upon young and innocent boys and girls that they can victimize. Every country must have an anti-cyber crime law that will penalize criminals and perverts who use the internet as a source for their would-be victims and as a device that aids their illegal activities. But such a law should not in any way limit nor hinder one’s right to freely express his or her opinions, for a democratic republic upholds the right of an individual to freely communicate and express her or his feelings, ideas and opinions through rational, empirical and pragmatic means. As long as such expression won’t incite violence and persecution against an individual or a group, such expression should be allowed to be heard and expressed in and upon the internet. The internet has become the largest commonplace here on Earth, and the freedom of speech and the right to express one’s self should be upheld and secured in such a commonplace. Hence, an anti-cyber crime law should not contain any provision that would curtail the freedom of speech and the right to express one’s ideas and opinions in and upon the largest commonplace right now here on Earth- the internet universe. We must remember that humanity as a whole has achieved civilization and progress because we allowed individuals and groups to freely express their ideas and opinions for the betterment of this world. Curtailing both freedom of speech and the right to express one’s ideas and opinions is synonymous to curtailing the march of human progress.