RIP FREE SPEECH

The Internet had become the staple place for people to come up of great and the not so great ideas. But On September 12, 2012, it all changed.  The signing of Republic Act No.10175 popularly known as Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.  The law that will protect us from cyberbullies and trolls, well also threatens to take away our freedom of speech and expression and might even end us in jail.

In my layman's understanding of the said law,  the government only wants to hear good things from the netizens.  Anything you you say...or typed...against some official could be classified as libelous.  Even if you joke around, it would fall to what they say mala prohibita provision, so no more Noynoying or Sinotto and the likes.

It's not retroactive; however, anything you posted in the past and someone published, reposted, or RT'd, you could end up in jail. The sharing of hateful memes and liking protest pages even RTing tweets from parody accounts...needs to be stop.

They'll shut down your website without due process of court intervention if they prove you violated the law. You can choose between 12 years imprisonment or 1 million pesos fine.

Although there are some points that I commend such as the fight against childporn and identity theft, but clearly, the libel provision which in fact inserted in the nick of time was a way to get back at their critics.

Laws that are pro-politician are passed and signed in rapid time while bills like RH and FOI that are clearly anti-politician are taking a crawl.  I commend Sen. TG Guingona who was the only one who went against the passing of RA 10175.

Is this what they call matuwid na daan? It's matuwid na daan to Martial Law,  I would say, Cyber Martial Law.  Say good bye to FREE SPEECH.  RIP Freedom of Expression.

Unlike.

NBI Clearance in 10 Minutes

I am the type of person that usually research before going anywhere I wanted to go, so when the time I needed to renew my NBI clearance, I went to look for the fastest and the most convenient way to get it without the hassle of queuing and the waiting for hours just to get the damn thing.

Since the NBI has a new system, expect long lines and even longer hours of waiting even in the convenience of malls.

So most of my queries points me to go to Robinson's Otis in Paco, Manila. To get there, your landmark would be the U.N. Ave. Station of LTR1. There is a tricycle parking area nearby, but do not do the same mistake I made when I went to the other side of the station going towards the Ermita area. The tricycle station is right beside the Medical Center Manila. Don't ride those pedicabs because they will charge you  60 pesos.

I went to Robinson's Otis on a Saturday which is great as it was located inside a mall and they observe mall hours. They open at 10 AM they say, and closes at 7 in the evening. I went there at around 4 PM which I think was the best time as most of the people may have finished. When I got there I was surprised that its starting to close, but the guard says that the employees are still there but just closed some of the windows as they were no people transacting at that hour anymore. The Clearance Renewal Center was located at the 2nd floor. As I was the only one got there, I got my clearance in no time. They are using Biometrics system, so no more filthy fingers at the end although they still use the webcam for the picture taking. Local or Travel Abroad clearance cost 115 pesos still. Just bring a valid I.D and don't forget a pen. You don't want to bother other people by borrowing their pen.

They printed my clearance in 5 minutes since I don't have a "hit", I even had the time to chit chat with the people there. They say they accept 500 people a day.

What I Learned from the Corona Impeachment

Now that the whole Coronavela has come to and end with a conviction, afternoons will never be the same again for us. For around five months, the impeachment had been all over, that it bored in the middle and even stopped following it.  But now, we can now move on with our lives, the senators and congressmen have more important matters to deal with (*cough* RH Bill *cough* FOI Bill *cough*). We can use this trial as a launching pad to battle corruption, learn from it, and move on.

During the course of it I learned so much myself, too. Here I will cite some what the trial has enlightened me.

Dolus versus Culpa. According to Justice Cueva, Dolus is "intentional" while Culpa is "negligence." To which Sen Enrile said "Culpa is deserving of blame". Mea culpa.

I learnt a few acronyms such as SALN, AMLC, and FCDA. 

I think the Senate should order a man hunt on Mr. Anonymous and Small Lady.

There is also that Lantern of Lies and Power Presentation.  

I still can't get over of Sen. Lapid's Picha Pie, though.

How old are Ret. Justice Serafin Cuevas and Sen. President Juan Ponce Enrile again?

Oh, I still dream about Atty. Karen Jimeno...

Finally, there's the Waiver and the Walkout...

Of course the Senate and the whole trial would be a bore to normal people like us you don't really understand law and high highfalutin jargon used by these lawmakers. Thank God for giving us Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago.

"I would really rather go scuba diving in the Bermuda Triangle and get possibly lost there."

"Huwag na tayo pa-epal dito. Justice delayed is justice denied. Nawawalan na ng gana ang manunuod."

"Why do you have to point out? Answer yes or no. I am tired or hearing your voice."

"I am a senator-judge, I am not a politician. You cannot heckle me. You cannot engage in a discussion or argument with me."

"Don't drown me out by screaming in this courtroom. Only I can scream here...."


"I was not born yesterday. We will be studied generations from now. This is a travesty. I request the secretariat to record in the journal that I said, 'Wah!'"

"Kung ano ano pinagsasabi nyo sa media, manalo na kami... you are engaging in a public discourse on the merit of the case...ang yayabang ng nagdsasalita ng ganyan, gago naman... Ang kagaguhan is a ground for contempt of court."

"It was a galactic act of epal."

To wrap this up, I hope this will enlighten our people of what politicians are and an eye-opener also to our politicians. In the end, all the drama, the lectures, the public humiliations, the academics, it's time for us to reflect, amend, and move on. There's so much drama left to be told. 

MEN AT WORK: They're everywhere!

It's been a while, but DPWH memes are still everywhere, literally they are everywhere, the three. They have gone places, even traveled through time.  I know we are all frustrated about their blunder, but for comic sense here are some of my favorites I found floating all over the Internet.

Start by Googling:

They're in the movies and TV

Paranormal Activity

Harry Potter

more after the jump