MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 5, 2012) – Even with Malacanang’s proposal for a dialogue with the Department of Justice, critics of the Cybercrime Prevention Act are not about to let up on protests against the new law, according to the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan.
The group is one of the petitioners that questioned the law before the Supreme Court and it vowed to return on October 9 to call on the court to issue a Temporary Restraining Order and to give due course to the petition.
“The protests continue online and offline and will reach another peak on October 9, when the Supreme Court en banc takes place and the matter of the Cybercrime Law is taken up anew. We do hope the court issues the TRO. All SC petitioners and critics of the law must step up opposition to this measure now that it is in full effect,” Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes, Jr. said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
“We find no comfort in statements by the Palace spokesman that because the Constitution is there, the people have nothing to fear from the Cybercrime Law. Lacierda seems to be living in a cave. Human rights violations continue despite the constitutional prohibitions. Libel and other harassment suits persist despite the constitutional guarantees for a free press. There is no assurance that the cybercrime law will not be abused, especially by a government who has a track record of abuse,” he said.
Reyes’ group also rejected calls by Malacanang for critics of the law to also condemn the spate of hacking of websites. On the first day of the implementation of the Cybercrime Law, several government websites were again hacked by groups saying they opposed the new law.
“The critics of the Cybercrime Law are under no obligation to denounce the hacking of government websites. Malacanang should stop making absurd demands. Pag hindi namin binatikos ang hackers ay wala na kaming karapatang batikusin ang cybercrime law? Ganun ba yun?” Reyes said.
“The Palace is unrepentant while hoping that the opposition to the law will die down. It should be repeated over and over again, that this law was signed by President Aquino. This is Aquino’s Cybercrime law. The buck stops with him. And he should be made accountable,” Reyes said.
Bayan said that the Palace proposal for a dialogue with the DOJ is meant to draw attention away from efforts at questioning the law before the High Court.
“Dialogue per se is not bad, but any discussion with the DOJ at this point will still be within the framework of the existing law. That would certainly be limiting and would not address the infirmities of the law. They might just want to defuse the protests,” Reyes said.
But Aquino said he wanted the stay of the controversial libel clause in the law.
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