Senator Tito Sotto is a bully. And like most bullies, he dish it, but he can’t take it.
This year, he plagiarized multiple bloggers, then misconstrued their words to help him make a case against the RH Bill. He also falsified facts used in his speech.
Folks were quick to point out his errors, their comments spreading fast through cyberspace. One of the bloggers he stole words from even posted that the words stolen from her were twisted, and that she does not think they should be used to deprive a whole country’s female population of the right to take control of their bodies.
Instead of apologizing, Sotto let his right hand man claim responsibility (Something leadership books tell you a good leader should never do, by the way. Just saying.), then went on to plagiarize some more.
Just so you know, plagiarism is one of the biggest sins that can be committed on paper. Taking someone’s words and passing them off as your own is lazy, unprofessional, and insulting to the real writer and to the people who read it. In a university, plagiarism results in expulsion. But apparently, in the Philippine government, it results in, well, nothing. Sotto is still in office, and as far as I know, has not been punished for his misdemeanor.
But apparently, getting away scot free isn’t enough. Only revenge will do.
Sotto, unable to take the enormous amounts of people, Filipinos or otherwise, pointing out his wrongdoing, called everyone who opposed him ‘cyberbullies’ and initiated the Cybercrime Prevention Act, which has some good points, but is also where even just liking or retweeting something could be construed as a crime. The law was passed right away, even, as they say, before the ink dried on the paper. Meanwhile, the RH Bill still languishes, as it has been doing the past 14 years.
The speed at which the President signed the Cybercrime Bill into Law is appalling. The number of government officials who okayed it right off the bat is scary.
I know that Filipinos are famously resistant to criticism, but for a “Democratic” government to muzzle its people smacks too much of Martial Law. I’m not the first to point this out, by the way. Everyone but government officials (except for Sen. Teofisto Guingona, who seems like the only person in office to realize the horror in the situation) has noticed this.
Many people are up in arms over the Cybercrime Law, something the government is more than happy to turn a deaf ear to. Many people have been posting their opinions, and even torrent website Piratebay has shown its support for free speech, posting a banner against the Law on its front page.
I hate this Law and I think that the lawmakers behind it are bullies who do not want their actions questioned, but I also think that the way things are going, all the brouhaha will fade, and that it will be business as usual. In the end, Sotto wins. Even though I didn’t vote for him, it makes me feel dirty for having watched and liked all his movies when I was younger.
I just think it’s sad that these people, who earn lots of money and ride in fancy cars and live in gated communities are trying to clamp down on ideas, which are free, written by mostly middle class people, many who have to live hand to mouth and do not have access to bank accounts in the Caymans. I’m not saying anyone is corrupt, I’m saying I would like a vacation in the Caribbean.
Text by Yvette Tan. Follow her on Twitter @yvette_tan and check out her website yvettetan.com
Photo via Frank Cimatu
Cybercrime Law Limits Freedom of Speech and Sets Philippines Back to the Martial Law Years
