The Philippines has an ANTI-CYBERCRIME Law that applies to everyone – Media Reporters, Bloggers, Columnists, Social Media Trolls, Commentators, News Agencies (like Rappler and other Online Media).
The law is fairly straightforward – if you malign a private individual (i.e. wrongly accuse an ordinary person who is not a “celebrity” or a “politician” as a criminal, a rapist, a drug dealer, a killer) then the crime is “LIBEL with INTENTIONAL MALICE”.
So to defend herself, Ressa and Atty. Te needed to prove that the accusation was FACTUAL; that is the aggrieved person is TRULY a convicted CRIMINAL – thus there was no “MALICIOUS INTENT”.
Atty. Te should be FAULTED for a “WEAK” or practically NO-defense. So, the judge had really NO CHOICE but to CONVICT Ressa and her reporter. Ressa lost her Libel Case – not her Freedom of Speech or her Freedom of the Press. Just her LIBEL CASE. And the latest news is that she is being charged with a NEW Libel Case.
______
The Anti-Terrorism Bill almost unanimously approved by the Senate and the Lower House is expected to be APPROVED by PRRD – who designated this Bill as “URGENT”.
Because this bill was discussed, dissected, debated only within the 4 walls of the Senate and the Lower House, the Yellows (Pangilinan, Hontiveros), Leftists and the left-leaning congressmen (Colmenares, Zarate), the Academe (UP, Ateneo, La Salle), the CHR are up-in-arms about the Bill’s CONSTITUTIONAL INFIRMITIES — according to their opinions and interpretations .
Should the Anti-Terrorism Bill become a LAW – it is expected that this new law will be challenged at Supreme Court – the ultimate interpreter of the PH Constitution. ABANGAN!
______
I-BALIK ANG “BALIK-PROBINSYA”
The objective of this BP Program is GOOD – to decongest Metro Manila so that the SPREAD of CoVid is thwarted, the humongous TRAFFIC problem is alleviated, and the lives of the poor squatters are improved. Because it is a NEW program (coupled with the issues of STRANDED OFWs, tourists, workers in Metro Manila), the implementing rules & regulations must be IMPROVED by more effective COORDINATION with the “receiving” LGUS. Only when the LGU is ready to accept these BALIK-PROBINSYANOS should the national government send them back.
The CONGESTION of Metro Manila can be traced back to the INACTION of past administrations starting with the Cory ADMINISTRATION and exacerbated during the other past administrations – leaving Digong with many urban congestion problems, including ILLEGAL DRUGS.
_______
COVID PERSONAL STORIES
This CoVid Pandemic has affected most of us in personal ways: the inconvenience of not going to the market, the drug store, the doctor’s clinic, or worse – a death of a relative or a friend. Let me talk about the WORST scenario. I have 2 close friends and one was a couple: Dr. A and his wife A. Dr. A is a member of my AdD Grade School and High School (Class 1960). They had symptoms of severe flu and difficulty in breathing. So the wife, the stronger of the 2, drove them to ASIAN MED – she even carried their suitcases since Dr. A was very weak. Upon checking-in they were placed in separate rooms and later into ICU. After about 2 weeks, Dr. A lost 25 pounds but SURVIVED – while his wife lost her life.
The other one is my close friend since our HS and College years at A de MLA. He also was diagnosed with CoVid, spent 2 weeks at ICU in St. Luke’s – where he died.
So there are reasons to FEAR CoVid – it is deadly. But after 4 months of quarantine, I believe we have a greater FEAR: and that is millions of our people will lose their LIVELIHOODS – and thousands will die as a result.
So our government is doing a very delicate balancing act between deaths due to the Pandemic or deaths due to the coming economic recession, then depression – and possible bankruptcy of our country.
Let us pray.
