Is it a Crime to call Philippine Senator Tito Sotto an idiot?

 

Philippines – Senator Sotto authored and inserted the “Online Libel” provision into Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. After a year of court battle, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the said provision. Its legality, however, has not deterred some Filipinos to call Sotto an “idiot” with a hashtag #NonLibelousTweet.

Is it a crime under “Online Libel” law to call Senator Sotto an idiot?

 

 

 

 

Well, Oscar Franklin Tan, a former Philippine Law Journal chair who received UP’s Araceli T. Baviera Prize for cyberlibel research, said it is not a crime. This is what he wrote in an article posted at Inquirer.net

“Netizens must critically understand the cybercrime decision before joining the angry bandwagon. That said, I invite the outraged to call Sotto an idiot in a truly #NonLibelousTweet. Know that doing so is no cybercrime, but part of a storied tradition traced to our parents who stood against tanks at Edsa in 1986 and to the sacrifice of all who died wearing our flag and uniform in our great nation’s history.”

 

 

Whether it’s a crime to call someone an idiot or not, the legality of the “Online Libel” is definitely a huge setback in Philippine Democracy.

The proponents of the law had argued its necessity due to Netizens’ abuse of  Freedom of Speech. Yes, it could be true. But it is nothing when the Government and the Elites abuse the Libel law.

So from now on, online writers and bloggers, undoubtedly, will sanitize their words. And worst, most Filipinos would probably be scared to post anything offensive to the government, even they are within the boundary of truth. It is a sad moment, indeed!

The Online Libel law would effectively silence the already voiceless Filipinos.

 

Here are some of the Tweets:

 

 

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If you wish to read the whole article at INQUIRER.net, please scroll down.

 

Calling Tito Sotto an idiot is no cybercrime

by: Oscar Franklin Tan / Inquirer.net

The decision of the Supreme Court upholding much of the Cybercrime Prevention Act, including the online libel provision inserted by a now haughty Sen. Tito Sotto, has provoked countless panicked, confused responses. A spontaneous Twitter campaign tried to make the hashtag #NonLibelousTweet trend, a protest by sarcasm and insincere praise. Prominent bloggers floated methods to sanitize criticism, from anonymous accounts to secret codes. The embarrassing question is why we did not protest simply by calling Sotto an idiot.

Continue Reading at INQUIRER.net