‘Most comprehensive’ plea yet filed vs cyber law

Rep. Raymond Palatino. Photo taken from congress.gov.ph

The slew of petitions filed against the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 went up by one on Monday as a multisectoral group led by the Kabataan partylist group sought from the Supreme Court a prohibition and temporary restraining order against the new law.

Calling it “the broadest and most comprehensive” petition yet against the law, sectoral representatives, student groups, members of media and a representative from the academe on Monday asked the Supreme Court to stop the law’s implementation fearing it would curb free speech and freedom on the Internet.

The petition, the sixth to be filed against Republic Act No. 10175, seeks the issuance of writs of prohibition and mandamus to stop Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima from enforcing the new law.

Freedom in online platforms

Lawyer Terry Ridon, Kabataan partylist president and general counsel, said the petition also seeks a judicial review of the law as the petitioners questioned its constitutionality.

The law has become contentious for a provision criminalizing libel online and “any other similar means which may be devised in the future,” thus inhibiting freedom in online platforms, mainly social media.

“Among all petitions filed in the Supreme Court that assail the Cybercrime Law, we can say that this is the broadest, as the petitioners include youth leaders, online media practitioners, artists and members of the academe,” said Ridon in a statement.

List of petitioners

The petitioners included Kabataan partylist Rep. Raymond Palatino, ACT Teachers partylist Rep. Antonio Tinio, Anakbayan national chair Vencer Crisostomo, National Union of Students of the Philippines secretary general Isabelle Baguisi, Karatula chair Michael Beltran, Philippine Collegian editor in chief Katherine Elona and Dean Roland Tolentino of the University of the Philippine College of Mass Communication.

Media practitioners from the Burgos Media Center and the Pinoy Media Center, both alternative media organizations, were also among the petitioners.

Question of constitutionality

“We believe the Supreme Court will act swiftly on this petition, as it fulfills all the requisites needed for the exercise of a judicial review, including petitioners who have the standing to question the validity of the Cybercrime Law and the question of constitutionality,” Ridon said.

“We call on the high court to act swiftly on this petition, as the implementation of RA 10175 will endanger the Internet freedom of Filipinos,” he added.

Human rights lawyer Harry Roque, Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, businessman Louis Biraogo, the Alab ng Mamamahayag partylist group and an organization led by information technology legal expert Jose Jesus Disini earlier filed similar petitions against the law.