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.