The Advertising Board of the Philippines and the Advertising Standards Council recalled the EQ diaper advertisement’s “clearance to air” in response to a National Historical Commission “cease and desist order” issued last April 19, 2013.

Before this, an online petition criticized the EQ diaper TV commercial for spreading a wrong impression of the Filipino hero Lapu-Lapu. The Lapu-Lapu City local government also decried the ad for disrespecting the heroism of Lapu-Lapu.

Screenshot of the controversial diaper ad

In the 30-second ad, Magellan gives a box of diapers to Lapu-Lapu and his wife. But this gesture of friendship backfires when Lapu-Lapu realizes that the diapers are of inferior quality and dares Magellan to a fight that would ultimately lead to his death.

The petition has 323 supporters as of this writing. Here are some of the comments by those who signed the online petition:

Sheila Berame: We should respect our history and the people behind it. Lapu-Lapu is a national hero, the first to defend against imperialism.

Jim Rosales: I want our young generation to remember our heroes as people who died for a cause and with dignity. Not as a diaper endorser.

Ahmed Cuizon: The ad trivializes a proud moment of Philippine history. We should not make fun out of an important event that has come to define and symbolize Filipino patriotism.

Luz Hernandez: History should be preserved with the right facts, etc. and not mislead the belief of the general public especially the minors who has no parental guidance while watching this add. Our Dept. of Educ. should be the first who should have censored this add to be shown in TV.

Andrew Neil Retuya: This is a mark of our history, no company should distort it.

YouTube user iloveoldschoolanime reminds critics that the ad should not be taken seriously:

It's just a COMMERCIAL for DIAPER. Why take it so seriously? As if Lapu Lapu and Magellan was never spoofed before in those gag shows like Bubble Gang and such. Some people needs to lighten up a bit. Focus on the real issues of the country instead!

itsumo kokomo thinks politicians are simply craving for attention:

Trash politicians just want your attentions and some sympathy.

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The student was the eldest among five siblings. Her father is a part-time taxi driver while her mother is a housewife. She was assigned by the university administration under Bracket D of the Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP).

UP Manila implements a “no late payment” policy wherein students unable to pay their tuition on time are forced to take a leave from the university.

Education is a Right | Photo from Pixel Offensive

Grief and sympathy poured all over social networking sites and personal blogs over her untimely passing. Many also expressed outrage over expensive tuition and school fees and the highly commercialized system of Philippine education for driving the student to her death. Here are some reactions on Twitter:

@adrianayalin: Sad, sad, sad news about UP Manila student allegedly committing suicide because of unpaid tuition.

@teddycasino: Those cold hearted bureaucrats in UP Manila should resign in guilt & shame.

@jcmaningat: The suicide of the UP Manila student is big slap on the face of @PresidentNoy who claims that life is easier under his reign #justice #fb

The Facebook status of Cleve Kevin Robert Arguelles, the UP Student Regent representing 50,000 UP students in the university's Board of Regents:

The case of Kristel Tejada was not a suicide. There was no choice – either you pay or you stop pursuing your dreams. She was killed by the system- a system that refuse to recognize that education is a right, that life is measured in your capacity to pay. A sad and outrageous day for us Iskolars ng Bayan (scholars of the people). :(

In her blog, UP Manila alumna Alyanna Morales hopes that the incident will lead to drastic changes in the university’s tuition policies:

I believe that we are an education system that prides itself on honor and excellence. But if we deny someone her rights because of money, are we not worse than the system we claim to fight and abhor? Where is the honor or the excellence in that, my beloved UP?

Candle lighting activity at UP Manila | Photo taken by Carl Marc Ramota

Jefrey Tupas compares the recent suicide of the UP Manila student to the death of a 12-year old girl in Davao City five years ago:

Those who come from grassroots families, those who are living below poverty line, are directly hit by the policy of the government on education commercialization. The yellow government–the Aquino government–is pursuing the same formula being forced on us by the previous governments.

Dean Lozarie answers those who seek to de-politicize the issue by insisting that the death was merely personal and not political.

But it certainly was, if by political we mean that it aptly describes the state of things on a wider scale and reflects the narrative of society at large. We can argue about facts, and we can argue about what was really going through her mind in her final moments. But on this we can certainly agree: barely one year into her stay at the nation's premiere university, long-standing university and government policies prevented her from continuing her studies. Repeated and reasonable pleas from her and her family to reassign her to a lower bracket in UP's financial assistance program and to consider her financial situation were rejected. This deeply affected her emotionally. These facets of society, of the contemporary history of our nation, are manifest in the biography of the UP freshman from Tondo who just wanted to go to school.

No Money, No Entry | Image from Pixel Offensive

Former UP Student Regent Krissy Conti explains why the university’s STFAP is a smokescreen for tuition increase and forms a sinister background for the suicide.

The final tuition collection from all enrolees is right there, tallied in the government accounting. No one has dared deny that income from student fees has grown through the years. In fact it has become a reliable and liquid money source that more or less half of maintenance expenses are programmatically taken from the tuition fund

Priscilla Pamintuan comments that the suicide is a clear example of the unjust system of education now prevailing in the country.

Ano mang paghuhugas-kamay ang gawin sa publiko ng Commission on Higher Education – na kesyo may sariling kapasyahan ang bawat state university na magtakda ng mga polisiya kaugnay ng matrikula – hindi maitatanggi na may pananagutan sila sa sinapit ng estudyanteng ito.

Whatever washing of hands the Commission on Higher Education may do in public – because each state university have the autonomy to set its own policies related to tuition – it cannot deny that it is accountable to what happens to their students. Is it not that CHED and the administration of Benigno Aquino III have long pushed for the yearly cuts in the budget of state colleges and universities to make them “self-sufficient”?

In a Facebook Note, Lisa Ito writes a call to action to honor the dead student's memory.

Some have implored: suicide is not the solution, don’t give up, there is hope. I agree. The solution is to fight for one’s rights, and to see the struggle through to the end. I will never say that she failed in valor, because—whatever the reason for arriving at the point she did—her sacrifice and her family’s loss has compelled us all to finally confront the painful truth: that there is no other recourse but to act on the situation now.

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ran aground on Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park, a World Heritage Site in the Sulu Sea, 640 kilometers (400 miles) southeast of Manila at 2:25 a.m. local time, January 17.

The Tubbataha Reefs was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. It is a protected marine area that is off-limits to ships.

However, the USS Guardian entered the marine park without prior authorization. The US naval personnel of the ship also allegedly prevented park rangers from inspecting the marooned ship. The rangers were instead told to just call the US embassy in Manila.

The US Navy claims that the ship ran aground because of “inaccurate navigation” and that it was investigating the incident.

‘Justice for Ruined Reefs', the call of the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park Management

Twitter Reactions

Many reactions on Twitter and other social networking sites poke fun at the US Navy.

@theblue_iguana: Why did the minesweeper enter the Tubbataha restricted zone? Was it for recreation or siga lang talaga sila? [or they really just rash?]

@carloshconde: Damn you, Apple Maps! “@djstaana: US Navy: map error eyed as possible cause for USS Guardian running aground at Tubbataha Reef”

@venzie: It's the fault of the Coral Reef, they did not step aside. #SaveTubbataha #USTroopsOut pic.twitter.com/ohj2Rrfa

Shark at Tubbataha. Photo by Simon Hefti, Schweiz, Wikipedia

Some tweets centered on the damage inflicted by the US navy ship on the protected reefs and the environment.

@camylbee: On other news, the Tubbataha reef is bleeding. No amount of fines will bring it back to its former glory, at least in, oh say, 20,000 years.

@arnoldpadilla: after dumping toxic wastes in subic, a us ship runs aground in tubbataha reef. crimes of us troops in ph are rising http://shar.es/4B1XV

@akosiays: From minesweeper to coral-destroyer and reef-destroyer! #SaveTubbataha #Tubbataha

There are also those who condemn the violation of Philippine sovereignty by ‘arrogant’ US military forces in Philippine territory.

@tonyocruz: If Filipino tourists accidentally damaged Mount Rushmore or crashed into landmarks at The Mall, there would surely be grave repercussions.

@atomaraullo: Adding insult to injury, the crew of the USS Guardian have allegedly not been cooperative with park rangers. Naman. #Tubbataha

@natoreyes: US Navy should be held liable for unauthorized entry and damage to reef

Others question the administration of President Benigno “Noynoy Aquino III for its silence on the issue and alleged puppetry to US political and economic interests in the region.

@edikdolotina: Bakit walang statements sina Valte at Lacierda re US warship stuck in our #Tubbataha ? #SaveTubbataha

@edikdolotina: Why don't [Presidential spokespersons] Valte and Lacierda issue statements re US warship stuck in our #Tubbataha ? #SaveTubbataha

@thejaqpot: Ano PNoy, NGANGA na lang? Kung maka-putak pag may incursions ang China. Pero pag US, ok lang?#TUTAmuch #SaveTubbataha

@thejaqpot: What now [President Noynoy]? How you squawk when there are Chinese incursions. But if its the US, it's just okay? #PUPPETmuch #SaveTubbataha

@tonyocruz: When Chinese ships entered PH waters off Panatag, Malacanang went nuts. When US warship crashed at Tubbataha reef, Palace became blind.

Some also point out to the need for the immediate scrapping of the Visiting Forces Agreement, which allows the presence of US troops in the country in violation of the Philippine Constitution.

@jc_naguit: Ang epekto ng VFA sa ating teritoryo! #SaveTubbataha! #JunkVFA! #Hypocrisy! pic.twitter.com/W5bpaI6I

@jc_naguit: This is the effect of VFA to our territory! #SaveTubbataha! #JunkVFA! #Hypocrisy! pic.twitter.com/W5bpaI6I

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The controversial law was signed by President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III last October despite massive protests and questions on its constitutionality.

Fifteen petitions were filed against the law last year, hence compelling the Supreme Court to issue a 120-day Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on its implementation. The said TRO expires on February 6 of the present year.

Hackers from the Anonymous group joined the protest against the Anti-Cybercrime Law. Photo from @chantaleco

Arguing that the anti-cybercrime legislation will curtail freedom of expression and is equivalent to “Cyber Martial Law,” critics have stepped up both online and offline actions for the junking of the law. Hackers also vandalized several government websiteslast week to protest the Cybercrime Law.

They say that the law significantly raises the penalty for libel committed online and provides the government overwhelming “draconian” powers to clamp down on critics and conduct online surveillance, as in the case of a 62-year old anti-mining activist who was arrested for a ‘libelous’ Facebook post last November 2012.

Twitter Reactions

A police car was ‘painted’ by protesters. Photo from @micaelapapa

Social networking sites have become venues for posts, memes, and heated discussion against the law. Here are some of the conversations on Twitter:

@tribong_upos: I am for a #cybercrimelaw, but I am against libel as a crime, warrant-less searches, and unauthorized collection of cyber data.

@bisdakpride” The internet is a powerful venue for LGBTs to freely express gender/sexual rights but not at the expense of other people #notocybercrimelaw

Alay Sining a group of artists based in the University of the Philippines, released an Infographic on the dangers of the Anti-Cybercrime Law.

Cyber Freedom Law

‘Mas Miserable’ means ‘More Miserable’ in Filipino. The person in the photo is President Aquino. Photo shared by @venzie

A milestone in Philippine legislative history involved the crafting of a “Magna Carta for Philippine Internet Freedom” (MCPIF) through crowdsourcing. This is proposed by netizens as an alternative to the Anti-Cybercrime Law.

Youth legislator Raymond Palatino, also Southeast Asia Editor of Global Voices Online, also filed an Internet Freedom Bill in the Lower House last October 2012. The bill was drafted in a public consultation with netizens, IT experts, and legal pundits held at the UP College of Law last year.

The Center for Media Freedom and Response (CMFR) issued the following Question of the Week: Is it better to encourage observance of a cybercode of ethics vs cybercrime law? Here are some of the reactions to the CMFR Question of the Week:

Alfie Smith: There are aspects that need to be legally enforcable such as sexual exploitation of children at home or abroad. Also other dodgy trading on line … the bill is necessary but not in it's present form which prevents freedom of speech.

Nonoy Espina: There is no doubt about the need for a cybercrime prevention law. The problem with the one we are contesting is that it seeks to classify perceived abuses of free expression as crimes instead of what they rightly are, lapses of ethics and good manners. Personally, I see this as deliberate, part of the efforts, not just of an administration but of a whole political system notorious for its intolerance for criticism, to limit free discourse, much as the refusal to pass the Freedom of Information Act. Although the speed with which the Internet has evolved and the proliferation of social networks may seem to be overwhelming, they are, in fact, still in the early stages and the culture/s and ethics that inform our online behavior are just starting to evolve.

Julius Mariveles: The law is prone to abuse especially with the kind of government officials that we have, a substantial number of them are onion-skinned. Besides, responsibility must become a force of habit, not something that must be forced upon someone.

Len Olea: Journalists, netizens must not be punished for exercising freedom of expression and press freedom. A code of ethics is most welcome.

E-VAW

Rally against Anti-Cybercrime Law infront of the Supreme Court. By @CristinaTabbs

Meanwhile, two women legislators of the women's party Gabriela proposed amendments to the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) Law to include E-VAW or VAW using information and communications technology.

This is in response to those who justify the cybercrime law as necessary to protect women and children against online prostitution, pornography, and other forms of violence in the internet.

“Kontra pa nga sa kababaihan ang Cybercrime Law na ginagamit ang maling depinisyon ng prostitusyon sa Revised Penal Code. Tinatrato nito ang prostituted women bilang mga kriminal, at hindi bilang mga biktima ng kahirapan at iba pang inhustisyang panlipunan,” said Gabriela Rep. Emmi de Jesus.

“The Cybercrime Law is even against women by using a wrong definition of prostitution in the Revised Penal Code. This treats prostituted women as criminals and not as victims of poverty and other social injustices,” Gabriela Rep. Emmi de Jesus said.

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Hardest hit by the strong winds, heavy rains, landslides and flash floods are the poor peasants along the path of typhoon Pablo who lost much of their homes and livelihood. Especially affected were the provinces of Surigao del Sur, Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley in Mindanao. In the town of New Bataan, 101 residents died when Pablo brought water and mud surging down from the denuded mountains of Compostela Valley.

As in recent disasters like Sendong, many pinned the blame for the ever-worsening scale of the destruction caused by natural calamities on the Philippine government's continued failure to put an end to the plunder of the environment by foreign mining corporations, logging concessionaires, and their local business partners. Quierosaber's Blog points out:

The similarity in the aftermath of typhoons Sendong in 2011 and Pablo in 2012 is very glaring. Most of the death were caused by flash floods and landslides brought about by hours of torrential rains…

Haven’t we seen footages of the devastation caused by denuded forest from illegal logging? What can one say about the countless logs of all forms and sizes coming down the rivers and slopes during flash floods destroying every thing that comes across its way? What can we say about the photographs of tree stumps left on top of the hills from whence the logs cascaded with the heavy downpour?

Meanwhile, the use of new social media to monitor the typhoon's impact and coordinate relief efforts and assistance for the disaster victims has also become a familiar sight. 4253 listed all the map resources on the typhoon found in the web.

The United Nations initiated an effort to collect relevant tweets about Typhoon Pablo for the purpose of supporting the disaster response efforts. This involved identifying the photos and videos shared in these tweets, and then geo-locating, time-stamping, and categorizing this content.

To help minimize the impact of disasters, progressive legislator Teddy Casino introduced House Bill 5660 or the Free Mobile Alerts Act. If enacted, the proposed law would mandate mobile phone companies to provide free text alerts to citizens in calamity-stricken areas.

Here are some more photos and tweets on Typhoon Pablo:

A damaged bridge in Caraga region. Photo from @itsmecelinee

40,000 people have moved into shelters in Mindanao. Photo from @robertolaprade

Strong winds batter Negros Island. Photo from @bbeejjee

Impact of the storm in Compostela Valley. Photo by Len Marcelo Jingco posted on the Facebook page of Maayong Buntag Mindanao

Some twitter reactions about the storm:

@natashya_g: I've never seen anything like the scenes coming out of ComVal in my life. Ever. Corpses among trees, battered buildings. So painful.

@iamsuperbianca: praying for those affected by #PabloPH that they keep warm, dry, safe, and in good health tonight.

@venzie: Sa mga kababayang binayo ng trahedya at pagsubok, nawa'y maging kalinga ng pagdadamayan at sama-samang pagkilos! Mahigpit na yakap po!

@venzie:To all fellow citizens affected by tragedy and trials, hopefully mutual aid and collective action will bring you shelter! Bear hug!

Updates and important information regarding Typhoon Pablo can be followed using the hashtag #PabloPH.

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These politicians are labelled “epal,” a Filipino slang term meaning “attention grabber,” for using public funds and programs to promote themselves through tarpaulins and other publicity materials.

The campaign initiators encourage people to submit photos that expose “epal” politicos to the #epalwatch blog. An Anti-epal Facebook page has over 33,000 likes and dozens of submissions by concerned netizens.

They've also partnered with local IT company Kwan Initiatives for the integration of a new anti-epal feature into the smartphone mobile application Instapatrol.

Through this new feature, Instapatrol users can now only easily share photos of floods, traffic, potholes, and other everyday inconveniences but also photos of “epal” politicians.

The examples of “epal” images submitted in these sites range from the brazen to the ingenious. Here's a billboard by an alleged political dynasty in the southern Philippine province Davao del Sur described by posters as a “family portrait.”

Walls along main thoroughfares and side streets, like those of Manila below, are common victims.

So are government vehicles.

There's a Happy Halloween tarpaulin complete with the faces of government officials.

Disaster relief goods are meanwhile utilized for “early campaigning.”

The virtual spaces of Facebook and other social networking sites have also been invaded. This is President Noynoy Aquino's cousin who is also a senatorial aspirant:

Even peanut butter is not spared.

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Critics of the cybercrime legislation won a tactical victory when the Philippine Supreme Court issued a 120-day Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the law as it deliberates on at least 15 petitions calling for the junking of the law.

However, they claim that the case of Esperlita “Perling” Garcia is a preview of how the law could be used to suppress the people's freedom of expression and right to expose and criticize government abuses online.

Garcia is President of the Gonzaga Alliance for Environmental Protection and Preservation which is opposed to magnetite mining operations in Gonzaga town in Cagayan Province. The Cagayan provincial government authorized mining by Chinese and Taiwanese corporations in the area.

Gonzaga Mayor Carlito Pentecostes Jr. charged Garcia with libel for a Facebook note posted last April 2011. The note condemned Pentecostes for harassing community leaders planning an anti-mining demonstration.

Environmentalists and internet freedom advocates has setup the “Cyber-Perling” Facebook page to draw attention to Garcia's plight. The page has gathered more than 800 likes as of this writing.

A factsheet on her October 18 arrest can be read on the said page. ‘Cyber-Perling’ was released on bail last October 19 after a day in detention.

Activist youth group Anakbayan warned that the incident is a strong indication of an impending E-Martial Law once the cybercrime law becomes effective:

“This is a preview of what to expect once the TRO lapses: the Cybercrime Law will be unleashed by the Aquino regime against its countless critics and opponents” said Vencer Crisostomo, national chairperson of Anakbayan.

He said it was not surprising that an anti-mining activist is the first victim of ‘e-Martial Law’, considering the intensifying resistance nationwide against foreign, large-scale, destructive mining operations, and President Noynoy Aquino’s bias in favor of those.

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, however, insisted that the arrest did not in any way arise from the Cybercrime Prevention Act:

This is not a Cybercrime case. This is a case of libel filed. In fact, if you notice, the bail posted was P10,000. The penalty for online libel is prision mayor, which is higher than the penalty imposed under the Revised Penal Code. Obviously, this is a case filed under Article 355 of the Revised Penal Code. So this is not a case of e-libel.

The youth activists answered Lacierda by pointing out that Facebook, blogs, and social networking sites are not included in the Revised Penal Code, which limits libel to printed and broadcasted materials.

Lacierda has now morphed into an e-Martial Law spokesman who is also lawyering for those who want to stifle internet freedom and free speech. He knows very well that libel under the law currently only applies to print and TV, making the case vs Perlie baseless, and yet he twists and spins to justify repressive and fascist acts.

They reiterated that it is “a preview of how rights will be curtailed once the Cybercrime Law is passed.” Lawyers also reaffirmed this observation. Atty. JJ Disini points out in a Facebook post:

“Well, someone should tell Atty. Lacierda the fact that this is not even a proper case of libel because public officials, as a rule, are not allowed to sue for criminal libel. This is clear from the landmark [United States Supreme Court] case of New York Times v. Sullivan cited with approval by our Supreme Court in the recent case [decided in 2005] of Guingging v. Court of Appeals.”

PITIK-B(u)LOG said the case is a wakeup call for everyone to take action against the cybercrime law.

Ilang ESPERLITA GARCIA pa ba ang dapat hulihin para maniwala ang sambayanan na ang R.A. 10175 ay inilalagay sa panganib ang ating freedom of expression? Kailan natin maiintindihan na sa ating pagsasawalang-kibo ay unti-unti rin nating kinakatay ang ating mga karapatang pangtao? Hindi lang ang R.A. 10175 ang dapat sisihin sa pagkitil sa ating freedom of speech, kasama na dito ang mga taong nagkibit ng balikat at nagsawalang-kibo. Apathy kills.

How many more Esperilta Garcia should be arrested before the people believe that R.A. 10175 will put our freedom of expression in danger? When will we understand that our indifference is slowly killing our human rights? R.A. 10175 is not the only thing that should be blamed for the curtailment of our freedom of speech, alongside this are the people who stay on the sidelines and do not care. Apathy kills.

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Filipino netizens are stepping up protest actions online for the repeal of a cybercrime law that has been dubbed as “E-Martial Law.” Alluding to the lack of civil liberties under martial law of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, the quip sums up the fears of netizens that the said law could be used to repress internet rights and freedom of expression.

Users of Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites turned their profile pictures, cover photos, and even status updates black as a sign of protest on October 2, the date the Supreme Court was supposed to hear several petitions against the cybercrime law.

Facebook comments and tweets now come with black shades that render phrases and sentence incomplete to demonstrate how online censorship of social networks under the cybercrime law might look like.

Some websites also voluntarily blacked out their websites in solidarity with the anti-cybercrime law campaign.

The high court failed to act on the petitions because of the absence of some justices and instead decided to tackle the matter next week. Without a temporary restraining order secured from the court, the cybercrime law takes effect this week. Meanwhile, one of the petitions lodged in the Supreme Court, has also been posted in the Internet as an online petition. It has gathered more than 70,000 signatures as of this writing.

The cybercrime law and its proponents have also become the targets of ridicule online. Here are some of the images circulating online:

Meanwhile, a senatorial candidate for the 2013 mid-term elections under the ruling Liberal Party and a cousin of President Noynoy Aquino, has not been spared from virulent comments on Twitter:

Here is a video on the cybercrime law uploaded by Red Ants Productions on YouTube:

Filipino netizens also enthusiastically noted the support for the call against the cybercrime law from various quarters of the world. The popular file-sharing website The Pirate Bay, for example, posted “Junk the Cybercrime Law” as its homepage header.

Last week, several government websites were also attacked by hackers who called themselves “Anonymous Philippines” to express their objection to the cybercrime law:

The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 is the most notorious act ever witnessed in the cyber-history of the Philippines, and the language of the bill is cunningly designed to make you think it only applies to individuals who are deep in cyber-technology and doesn't apply to everyone, but some part of the bill basically says it can imprison anyone who commits libel either by written messages, comments, blogs, or posts in sites such as Facebook, Twitter, or any other comment-spaces of other social media in the Internet.

This is part of the message posted in the websites of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Inc., Pilipinas Anti-Piracy Team, Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Region III, Smokefree Philippines of the Department of Health, and Institute for Development and Econometric Analysis.

A screenshot of the hacked website.

All of the affected websites except for that of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Inc have been restored.

#NoToCyberCrimeLaw is now the top trending hashtag in the Philippines. Here are some twitter reactions from Filipino netizens:

@missychua: grabe kaya natutulong ni pnoy. tignan nyo mga priorities; Wang-Wang,Corona,& #CyberCrimeLaw pinakaproblema yan. wag na edukasyon,poverty db

@missychua: P-Noy [President Noynoy Aquino] has great contributions. Look at his priorities: Wang-Wang, Corona, & #CyberCrimeLaw are his biggest problems. Not Education, poverty

@EJuankosayo: Status mo na, nilike mo pa tpos ikaw din nagcomment. Makakasuhan ka nian sa CyberCrimeLaw #EPIC hahahaha

@EJuankosayo: It's your status, you liked it, and you commented on it. But you can be charged under the CyberCrimeLaw. #EPIC hahahaha

@arcicatalan: #CybercrimeLaw shld protect d netizens frm hackers.Bt if ur acct IS hacked,posted smthng libelous,u cn b sued&burden's on u 2 prove hacking.

@thepbaologist: Protest vs anti-cybercrime law mounting.Concerned citizens now knocking on SC door. Let us keep democracy going.Let us continue to be heard.

@themarkgamboa: Kung maguupload ba ko ng nakahubad ako makukulong nako? #NoToCyberCrimeLaw

@themarkgamboa: If I upload a picture of myself naked will I be jailed? #NoToCyberCrimeLaw

@dafnyduck: Senators who passed the cybercrime law, you will feel our vengeance on election day. #NoToCybercrimeLaw

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Facebook users in the Philippines removed their profile pictures last August 30 to demand justice for the victims of enforced disappearances.

The online campaign was in line with the International Day of the Disappeared and at the same time to express solidarity to the relatives and friends of the disappeared.

It's also a political action to remember the 40th anniversary of the imposition of Martial Law in the Philippines by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos this September 21. Among the campaign's objectives are the following:

- Remember the open tyrranical rule and the grave human rights violations during the Marcos years
- Reflect and study the prevailing climate of impunity and the pervasive rights abuses under the Oplan Bayanihan of the current Aquino administration
- Resist all forms of curtailment of human rights and pursue justice for the victims and their kin.

The online action is initiated by the human rights alliance, KARAPATAN, and the organizations of the families of the victims of enforced disappearances, DESAPARECIDOS.

Human rights advocates, the families and friends of the victims of various rights abuses, and various people's organizations held protest actions in Manila and other major cities in the country.

They decried the mounting cases of human rights violations, with over 11 victims of disappearances documented since President Noynoy Aquino began his term in 2010.

Jay Cuesta asks Facebook friends to remove their profile photos to support the campaign for justice and human rights:

Dear friends and colleagues,

Please take down your profile picture on August 30, Thursday, in solidarity with the friends and family of the missing, from the Martial Law days up to the present, who continue to seek justice. It also signifies our being one with the call to immediately pass the Anti-Enforced Disappearance Bill. August 30 is the International Day of the Disappeared.

Here are some of the images used by Filipino netizens to show support to the campaign apart from the typical blank Facebook profile picture:

FB profile photo of Jay Cuesta

FB profile of Ron Magbuhos

Judy Taguiwalo updated her profile photo with a list of some of the ‘disappeared’ activists

Photo from Louie Arches Posa

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Netizens are now also using online media to raise questions about President Noynoy Aquino‘s government's response to the disaster and the lack of preventive measures that might have mitigated the effects of the bad weather.

Viral memes

Here are some of the photo memes regarding the president now going viral on Facebook and other social networking sites:

Image by Pixel Offensive on Facebook.

From the Facebook of Jerry Ocampo.

Scrapped flood control projects

Get Real Philippines explains that the Philippine Peso (PHP) 1.9 billion for flood control projects that was scrapped by the Aquino administration could have saved Metro Manila from the destruction it has witnessed:

Add to that regrettable opportunity cost in 2011 the Php 12.5 billion damage caused by Typhoon Pedring on that year and now the still-to-be-ascertained cost of this year’s nameless flooding disaster — all because key infrastructure projects were summarily killed by President BS Aquino, perhaps simply because they were projects associated with his personal nemesis, the eeevvvvillll regime of GMA.

‘In mainstream media, the masses are always accused of being “hard headed” if they don't evacuate. But if government scrimps on flood control projects, they just ignore it.’ Image by Pixel Offensive on Facebook.

Placing the blame

In a Facebook status, Gerry Lanuza questions the prevailing discourse of blaming the poor for the disaster; the president recently criticized the public in a press conference organized at the height of the flooding for not taking flood warnings seriously and for “just adding risk to rescuers”:

Two major causes of flooding: (1) Metro Manila alone continues to generate some 8,600 tons of garbage daily (2) Informal settlers along esteros, creeks, and waterways. What is the common denominator? Most of them are poor and squatters! Solution? Demolition, penalizing the poor who dump garbage indiscriminately, and population control. Why not sustainable employment, better education, and mass housing? Because it is better to believe in common sense myths against the poor than confront the real problem. For it will expose the blatant discrimination and neglect of the urban squatters!

Meanwhile, a business process outsourcing company has also taken a beating for requiring its call center agents to go to work despite the floods. Its internal email message has been spread on various social network sites and subjected to criticism:

The Business Processing Association of the Philippines has requested the government to exempt call center companies from its work suspension order. The BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) company in question has released a damage control statement that offers a 30% holiday pay premium to employees who still go to work:

While we encourage our employees to come to work, we ask that they only do so if it is safe for them to travel.

Progressive youth group Anakbayan on its blog page condemned the Aquino government for allowing BPOs to get around the work suspension order.

In essence, the Aquino administration has abdicated its responsibility and primary role of ensuring the safety of Filipino workers. There are no guarantees that employers will actually ensure the safety of their employees, and there are no government measures to make sure that employers will actually do that. No amount of ‘premium pay’ will justify putting the lives of BPO employees and other workers in danger.

Ultimately, the Aquino administration reveals its true ‘bosses’: not the Filipino working class and the millions of other hard-working Filipinos, but the greedy corporations and capitalists.

A Radical's Nut meanwhile slammed the corporate greed of oil and power companies that hiked pump rices and electricity rates amidst the disaster and the government's inaction in stopping them:

Petron, owned by presidential uncle Danding Cojuangco, and other oil firms increased their pump prices despite the calamity because the Oil Deregulation Law, which President Aquino has staunchly defended amid criticisms and allegations of overpricing, gives them the right to automatically hike their prices without a public hearing.

Meralco, also owned by Danding and known presidential allies Manny Pangilinan and the Lopez family, increased its generation charge despite the calamity because the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira), whose full implementation is being pushed by Aquino despite strong opposition from Mindanao and other sectors, allows it to automatically increase its generation rates without a public hearing.

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Social news network Rappler summarizes the key points of the new EO as follows: a new revenue sharing scheme, the limiting of small mining activities, the addition of more no-go zones for mining, the creation of a Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC), and the reiteration of the primacy of national law over local legislation, among others.

Here are some views on how EO 79 only further opens up the country's mineral resources to more plunder by foreign multinational corporations as posted online:

Mr. Cheap Justice's Blog describes the mining EO as “a policy that favors the big boys club and Gina Lopez.” Lopez is a popular advocate of eco-tourism; her family owns the country's biggest TV network

Local governments who are most active in the fight against mining will find themselves powerless if the national government say that its local policies are not in sync with national government’s directions. As such, local banning of mining or moratorium will be no good against a national policy to open mining in particular locality.

On the other hand, look at the bright side. The EO has also protected tourism areas like Palawan. This only means that environmentalists like Gina Lopez of the Bantay Kalikasan are grinning from ear to ear. Lopez who has long fought for zero-mining in Palawan. She may be who Pnoy had in mind all the time.

Protesters criticize the government's mining policy as pro-foreign and anti-poor. Photo from Kalikasan Network.

Mindanao-based journalist and photographer Karlos Manlupig writes about the grievances of small-scale miners, whose operations are limited under Aquino's new EO on mining.

“The government wanted our operations limited to the minahang bayan, which is just a small piece of land compared to the thousands of hectares given to foreign corporations. Why is the government taking side with these foreigners and big corporations while turning a blind eye on its constituents who are poor and hungry?” remarked Simbajon.

Taborasj comments that under EO 79, “No go” means “Maybe.”

Let us consider in the law how “no go” “no go” is.

E0 79 refers to areas enumerated under RA 7942. These are:

“In military and other government reservations, except upon prior written clearance by the government agency concerned;

“Near or under public or private buildings, cemeteries, archeological and historical sites, bridges, highways, waterways, railroads, reservoirs, dams or other infrastructures projects, public or private works including plantations or valuable crops, except upon written consent of the government agency or private entity concerned;

“In areas covered by valid or existing mining rights;

“In areas prohibited by law;

“In areas covered by small-scale miners as defined by law unless with prior consent of the small-scale miners, …

Except for areas under NIPAS [National Integrated Protected Areas System], “No go zones” can be undermined at the discretion of government official or private persons. If these were obstacles to the intentions of mining, with enough determination and logistics, they could be overcome.

Eastwind Journals explains why the mining EO is pro-foreigner and anti-Filipino.

Simple, it gives preferences to mining multinationals, which we all know have dozens of dirty tricks up their sleeves, whose bad reputation worldwide is known. Recently, a high school teacher was caught using signatures of students as evidence of support for the Xstrata-SMI project. What a pathetic desperate move. Noynoy gives rogue corporations a red carpet, thinking he would quadruple government revenue. But this is an illusion.

Citing the report by New York-based group Human Rights Watch (HRW) Fr. Jun Mercado OMI notes how the mining EO was silent on human rights violations resulting from the entry of mining operations.

“While mining and other environmentally sensitive projects promise economic benefits for Filipinos, they should not come at the expense of basic rights, particularly the lives of environmental advocates,” HRW Asia Deputy Driector Elaine Pearson said.

The HRW report cites three cases. They are the following: Margarito J. Cabal, 47, an organizer of a group opposing a hydroelectric dam in Bukidnon province, was gunned down on May 9; Jimmy Liguyon, a village chief at Dao in San Fernando, also in Bukidnon, was shot dead by a leader of a paramilitary group on March 5; and Fr. Fausto Tentorio, a longtime advocate of tribal rights and a critic of mining activities, was shot dead on Oct. 17 in Arakan, North Cotabato province.

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Gathered together under the Save Bondoc Peninsula Movement, various groups conducted a Peace Caravan and Mercy Mission in the Bondoc Peninsula from June 25 to July 2 to document human rights abuses and to give relief operations, medical and psychosocial assistance, among others.

The Save Bondoc Peninsula Movement has put up the blog savebondocpeninsula.wordpress.com and also maintains online presence in social network site Facebook to disseminate updates about these efforts.

The poster reads: Oust the Fascist Military in Quezon Province. Stop human rights violations.

Human rights advocates have observed that such heavy concentration of troops “is unheard of in the province even during the dark years of Martial Law” under the Marcos military dictatorship.

According to activists, Bondoc Peninsula immediately became the site of a string of enforced disappearances, intimidation, harassment and illegal detention of civilians, indiscriminate bombings and strafing of civilian communities, traumatization of children.

One of the more curious cases involves the case of youth activist Franklin Barrera, Jr. who was abducted and tortured by alleged military agents on June 7. He escaped a day later and was able to recount his ordeals to human rights alliance Karapatan.

But Barrera was abducted again on June 10 only to be surfaced and was presented to the mass media by the military’s 85th Infrantry Battalion. Barrera recanted his previous revelations and instead claimed that he himself and his fellow activists are all communist rebels. This is a video of his statement before his second abduction:

The week-long caravan and mercy mission itself became a target of military harassment. According to the organizers, army check points and nail spikes strewn on the road delayed the caravan’s convoy while the residents of Bondoc Peninsula were warned by military men against joining the mission.

Human rights groups said that like previous counterinsurgency plans, the Noynoy Aquino administration’s Oplan Bayanihan still make no distinctions between civilian dissenters and armed rebels. Instead of ensuring peace and development, military units illegally deployed in civilian communities commit various abuses.

According to the Save Bondoc Peninsula Movement, the intense militarization of the province can be attributed to the area’s being rich in mineral resources and its being Quezon’s agricultural center.

Thousands of hectares of land are hideously concentrated in the hands of a few landlords most especially in the towns of San Francisco, San Andres, San Narciso and Mulanay, leaving most land tillers landless and at the mercy of prominent land owners.

The towns Tagkawayan, Buenavista and San Andres on the other hand have very rich deposits of gold and other minerals.

Projects of both public and private sectors are focused in South Quezon and Bondoc Peninsula. Some of these are bio-diesel plant in the town of Gumaca, Mirant powerplant Extension in Pagbilao, Ogdel Bechtel Coal Fire Thermal Powerplant Extension in Atimonan, and the construction of a big dam in Macalelon.

Massive military presence is said to be a measure aimed at quelling peasant unrest against landlord and big business interests in the area.

The military has denied that it's violating human rights in the province. It said that its presence in rural communities is important to preserve peace and order and to prevent rebels from spreading violence and committing crimes. The Philippines is facing one of the longest communist insurgencies in the world.

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The destructive tropical storm Sendong and a spate of flash floods and landslides hit Mindanao last year, thus creating scores of refugees. Mindanao has also been home to thousands of people fleeing from heavy fighting between Muslim secessionist rebels and government forces.

There are no grave calamities, but many have been forced to leave their communities lately as a result of intense combat operations and bombings by military forces in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, Surigao, Agusan, Cotabato, Davao, Compostela Valley, Zamboanga Peninsula, and Bukidnon.

These communities are known to be sitting on top of mineral-rich areas eyed by multinational corporations. But the military has also pinpointed these areas as strongholds of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed group, the New People's Army (NPA).

The human rights alliance Karapatan has warned that more communities are threatened to be displaced to make way for the entry of large-scale mining operations in the island, with the military serving to drive away the people in favor of big business.

The people's livelihoods are displaced. Their children have stopped schooling. Dislocated from their homes, they have sought temporary shelter in evacuation centers. Here are some of the stories documented by Karapatan and circulated in email groups:

Antolin Gimo, member of KAMASS-KMP, a local organization of peasants from Mahaba, Marihatag, Surigao del Sur. Antolin’s peasant community is targeted for coal and nickel mining operations that is reportedly going to start soon. The people of Bgy. Mahaba went through a series of forciblee vacuation from their homes in 2006 and yearly, from 2009 to the present. On March 2011, elements from the 29th and 23rd IBPA launched air and land reconnaissance missions against the NPA, shelling the areas around the communities.

Bebeth Calinawan Enriquez, member of Butuan City-RTR-Cabadbaran City-Tubay Intermunicipal Mamanwa Organization (APOGAN), a local Mamanwa organization from Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte. She is among the 215 families who fled their homes in March this year due a series of bombings and strafing. Canons were stationed in the middle of the fields, only about 20 meters away from the houses. The Mamanwa are still in evacuation centers in Butuan City, and neighboring barangays, away from their homes and livelihood. On September 2011, Bebeth Calinawan was shot at by the military, detained, and was presented by the military to the media as a victim of the NPAs landmines. Bebeth is also a witness to the hard life in the evacuation centers: of post-traumatic stress, the lack of food, of sleeping on cold cemented floors, of sickness affecting the evacuees, of the government’s lack of response and rejection of their pleas.

Maritess Bulawan, chairperson of Nagkahiusang Mag-uuma sa Kibawe (Namaki) in Kibawe, Bukidnon. Maritess is among the peasant leaders in Kibawe who actively oppose the building of the Pulangi mega-Dam-V that will drown peasant communities. She was involved in the negotiations with local traders from whom they get their farm inputs and to whom they sell their produce. On April 1, 183 families from the town of Maritess evacuated when the military, using two tora-tora planes, dropped 14 bombs that affected three barangays. One civilian, according to Maritess was wounded by bomb splinter. The military also occupied a public elementary school. Maritess believes that the military operation was a retaliation to the previous encounter with the NPA. But as in many other instances, the military train their guns against the civilians. As an active peasant leader, Maritess has caught the ire of the military.

The latest forced evacuations involve at least 80 families from Trento, Agusan del Sur who fled bombings and military operations last May 7, 2012. Karapatan has documented at least 6,556 victims of forced evacuation under the Oplan Bayanihan counterinsurgency plan of the Noynoy Aquino administration.

Indigenous people's groups, environmentalists, and human rights advocates held protest actions at the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) last April to condemn militarization. Here is a video of the protests:

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(A young resident who was gunned down during the demolition. Photo from Tudla)

The Silverio Compound is home to at least 28,000 urban poor families. The residents contend that a total of 4 individuals were killed. The violent demolition has sparked a wave of indignation online.

Billionaire Henry Sy's SM Development Corporation (SMDC) owns the 9.7 hectare lot which it plans to clear for the construction of condominiums and commercial establishments.

This is not the first time that Henry Sy's SM shopping mall entered into controversy. Protests against SMDC also erupted against the planned removal of pine trees for one of its mall expansion program.

(Residents prepare to defend their homes in Silverio Compund. Photo from Tudla)

The police confirmed the killing of Arnel Leonor, 21 years old. Residents said that Bodging Isaias, 16 years old, Rodman Ortega, 16 years old and Raymond Aquino, 36 years old were also killed by police gunfire.

Youth activist leader and blogger Vencer Crisostomo shares a comprehensive narrative account of the bloody incident:

News video footages and documentation by citizen media groups showed members of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) armed with M16 rifles firing indiscriminately as they dipersed residents who formed a human barricade to try to stop police and demolition teams. Also shown were scores being arrested, bloodied and beaten up even as they were already in the custody of the police.

After several rounds of volley gunfire, Arnel Leonor Tolentino, 21 was confirmed dead by gunshot on the head and several others also shot in vital areas are in critical condition. Not a few residents have gunshot wounds in their arms and legs, some as young as 15-16 years old.

SMDC has repeatedly denied any connection with the brutal demolition. But government documents obtained by residents indicate the company as a “housing development partner.”

Parañaque Mayor Florencio Bernabe have confirmed plans to use the lot for commercial purposes for the city government. There is also a plan to build a medium-rise housing project but this will only occupy a small portion of the property as shown by the project's master plan.

The violent demolition reminded Like a Rolling Stone of the 2004 Hacienda Luisita massacre where striking farm workers were shot by military and police forces.

I feared that a whitewash would take place given the statements of the Mayor. In the Luisita massacre, the authorities claimed that farmers were armed, that violence started from the ranks of the farmers and that the farmers were infiltrated by “outsiders” who were agitating them.

The same storyline is now being repeated by the authorities even before an investigation into the incident has taken place. Authorities are saying that residents were armed too, that they started the violence and that they were infiltrated by “outsiders”. The idea here is simple. Blame the victims and problem goes away.

Citizen media writer Kenneth Roland Guda believes that the Noynoy Aquino government should also be held accountable for the massacre in Silverio Compound.

Hindi lamang usapin ito ng command responsibility. May direktang pananagutan ang administrasyong Aquino sa paggamit ng dahas sa mga sibilyang tumututol sa demolisyon. Kinalinga ng administrasyong ito ang patuloy na pagsasanay at pag-aarmas sa malulupit at brutal na mga yunit ng militar at pulisya na may masasamang rekord ng paglabag sa karapatang pantao.

The official statement and appeal of the residents of silverio compound, Paranaque was also posted online.

The policemen are supposed to serve and protect the people but why send more than 300 policemen and demolition teams to destroy our ranks and the whole community and kill us?

We strongly oppose the massive demolition of our community. The demolition of our public market is only part of the continued plan to demolish the whole 9.7 hectares of Silverio Compound to give way to the business center of Henry Sy and to wipe out all small vendors in favour of the HYPERMARKET of the Sy family.

A Radical's Nut is encouraging support for what he calls a “fight for the right to live.”

While the residents of Silverio Compound remain undaunted by oppression and brutality, they need all the support that they can muster to ensure that justice will be served. At the same time, they also need assistance – medical, legal, etc. – to help them cope with the tragedy inflicted on them by institutions that are supposed to uphold their rights and promote their interests.

Some reactions on Twitter:

@ellacolmenares: SM: Silverio Massacre http://fb.me/1AJQ26eas

@Ralpipay: @piabisikleta Re-watched the footage of Silverio massacre and Red some articles eto ba ang tinatawag nating #PinoyPride #ItsMoreFuninPH

@mobilemaui: Massacre: “To kill people in numbers, especially brutally and indiscriminately” Yun ang ginawa sa #Silverio compound. #justice

@YourConnoisseur: OMG! Silverio compound massacre! And it happened under the administration of #PNoy.

@jaellao: Today was a bloody hell day for residents of Silverio Compound. It's also the 29th month since the Ampatuan Massacre.

A video documentation of the resident's barricades and the bloody dispersal:

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