10th petition vs cybercrime law filed

WARNING against what they described as “cyber martial law,” a group of bloggers and netizens yesterday filed the 10th petition so far against the Cybercrime Prevention Act in the Supreme Court.

In a petition for certiorari and prohibition, 18 bloggers and blogger groups from around the country asked the high court to nullify six provisions of the law for violating basic rights guaranteed by the 1987 Constitution. They also urged the tribunal to hold oral arguments.

Among the petitioners were Anthony Ian Cruz of the tech and political blog tonyocruz.com, and Marcelo Landicho of the popular political humor site The Professional Heckler.

Before filing the petition in the Supreme Court, the petitioners served notice to President Aquino through his Facebook and Twitter accounts.

“The President has declared virtual martial law by signing this law. Our message to the President is we will defy you. Stop play- ing PSP and answer the cases submitted by bloggers and others (against the law),” Cruz said.

In Cagayan de Oro City, Philippine Red Cross chair Richard Gordon said the government expanded the coverage of libel instead of decriminalizing it.

“Here we are under so much pressure for our outdated libel law and we upgraded it to include the Internet,” Gordon said on Tuesday after leading the distribution of 320 permanent houses in Digkilaan, Iligan City, for victims of Tropical Storm “Sendong.”

Gordon, a senatorial candidate, said the cybercrime law should be amended or “junked” as it was violating the Bill of Rights.

But Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said the cybercrime law did not violate the Constitution. Rodriguez said that before the law was passed, it went under “stringent legal scrutiny.”