'Social Control' Better than Legislation

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    Date: 
    8 September 2009

    MANILA, Philippines – Internet
    use in the Philippines remains free, with most, if not all form of content, becoming available to all 24 million or so Internet users, about half of them below the age of 19.

    But that kind of freedom of access has also brought the attention of legislators some, of whom have also been spurred by recent sex video scandals, proposed bills mainly against online pornography.

    These include the “Cyberboso” bill of BUHAY partylist Representative Irwin Tieng, and the Anti-Child Pornography Bill by Tarlac 1st district Representative Monica Prieto-Teodoro.

    A Senate version of the Anti-Child Porn Bill, Senate Bill 2317, was penned by Senators Jamby Madrigal and Francis Escudero and is only awaiting a conference committee reading before going into plenary. However, one particular provision of the bill has raised eyebrows as it hints on government control over the Internet.