It may be an ironic first test of the Philippines’ newly-minted Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. News broke this morning of what could be the first high-profile incidence of cyber-bullying over social networking giant Facebook since RA 10175 came into effect. The incident involved a nephew of embattled Philippine Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Stephen Michael Gamboa Bacosa who allegedly sent a seemingly threatening private message to musician and television show director Adrian Arcega. GMA News reports…
[Bacosa] sent a private message to a certain Adrian Arcega, saying: “Pare dahan dahan lang sa pambabastos mo sa uncle ko ha? kilala kita. ka batch ka ng utol ko!! kung cyber bully ka, ako BULLY sa real world at alam nyo yan.” [Translation: “Dude, watch your back with regard to your rude remarks about my uncle, ok? I know you. You are in the school batch of my sibling!! If you are a cyber-bully, I am a BULLY in the real world and you all know that.”]
Arcega replied: “How ‘exactly’ ako nambastos? [‘How exactly was I rude?’] Don’t forget, I (and the rest of the people) am your uncle’s boss. Whether I’m right or wrong, it comes with the territory.”
The screencap of these messages is currently making the rounds on Facebook.
As of this writing (11:50am 04 Oct 2012 Australian Eastern Standard Time), Arcega had set the image of the screencap to “Private” on Facebook where he presumably had uploaded it. In a subsequent update by Arcega on his Facebook profile, he wrote: “I set the screencaps to private. I figure enough people know, so my protection (or at least if something happens, knowledge of pertinent info) is assured. Again, sobriety and reason guys. Let’s not be bullies ourselves. Yun lang. Salamat. [‘That’s all. Thank you’]”
| SUPPORT INDEPENDENT SOCIAL COMMENTARY! Subscribe to our Substack community GRP Insider to receive by email our in-depth free weekly newsletter. Opt into a paid subscription and you'll get premium insider briefs and insights from us. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter, GRP Insider! Learn more |
[NB: Above post was publicly-accessible at the time it was captured 11:45am 04 Oct 2012 AEST.]
Senator Sotto has been one of the strongest proponents of inclusion of the libel provisions in RA 10175 and has been accused of sneakily inserting the libel clauses into the bill just before it was subject to the Senate vote (an allegation Sotto denies). Philippine lawmakers have started to cave under pressure from mounting protests among Filipinos and attention attracted from the foreign media over the new law and have started distancing themselves from the imbroglio. President Benigno Simeon “BS” Aquino III himself who had signed the bill into the law has been silent on the matter preferring instead to let his spokespersons release sketchy statements to the public every now and then.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
How you react publicly nowadays is truly something that you have to be responsible with. Despite all your self-control, when a blood-relationship is involved then, hell breaks lose. I just hope people gets more sober how we are witnessing now.
I believe that it might be possible for the Sotto kin or Sotto himself to claim that it was the well-known person that was libelous since he was the one that revealed the private message (email facebook-style).
Hanep sa translation.
Sorry, that last “dude” was supposed to be “rude”. My bad.
This is something I’d like to say an example of a dysfunctional filial tradition. I don’t know whether or not this guy even knows what his d-bag uncle is going through right now. If he does, then he’s stupid for doing so because he already knew his uncle’s fault, yet he still defended him, which isn’t going to make things better. If he doesn’t, then he should at least find out why so he can correct his uncle’s mistakes (which I still doubt he’ll do).
What a delicious karma! Now let see what his uncle is gonna do next.
At ano ang naging karma doN? Kasalanan bang ipagtanggol nya ang mahahalgang tao sa kanya?? Ang mga katulad mo ang kakarmahin. Mag antay ka! Andyan n sya! Haha
karma?!di mo ba alam ang karma?!how can you say na karma sa kanya un?be careful on what you say coz you might be the next one…
Delicious KARMA? what’s with the karma? their just explaining the provision of the law. And I think other people like you that just don’t get their point and continuously complaining about the law will get that so called KARMA.
Sotto nephew changed his name and gone into hiding altogether after his PM went viral.
Nyack!
If he wants to be anonymous and left alone I recommend changing his name to Fishball.
hahaha, very appropriate.
Ikaw kaya mag change ka nag pangalang mo bilang BOPLOKS.
Geez, why so bully on other? Bakit di ikaw magpalit ng pangalan into fishball? tutal kaw naman nakaisipeh=_=
At least siya nde nagtago na kanyang totoong pagkatao kung sino man siya. Nilabas niya ung gustong sabhin sa mga katulad nyong mababaw ang isip.
Lakas ng loob palibhasa ang lakas ng kapit e! Pakulong yan ng 12 years! Sample! Sample!
harhar
at paano naging malakas ang kapit nya?? Pinag tatanggol lang niya ang kanyang pamilya. Hindi mo katulad na naninira. Siguro wala kang kwentang tao kaya ka ganyan.
korek kua! nice one! very well said!
Diyan ka mali. pagtatanggol in way of threatening this person via direct message? kaya nga you have a wrong mentality. pagtatanggol basta mahal mo kahit mali? dahil alam na malakas ang kapit, ganon ka magsalita sa tao sa text? Puwede magtanggol by using a more educational/informational way. it doesnt help his uncle either. thats a classic pinoy territorial behaviour inexhbit ng nephew niya. mayabang agad. plus, kung nag aral yan, maayos pa rin puwede iy text ang message niya.
malakas ang loob his just defending his uncle from those bullys like you! moron!
e kung ikaw kaya ang sinasample-an ng 12 years na pakakakulong ng malaman mong nangbubully kana!!stating what’s not right and making other pahiya will be your way to jail!! masabi nga to kay de lima..
teka lang, bakit sobra kang makapag react dian, halle gauevarra? pamilya mo ba yon ha?
I think his just defending his family from people like you who has nothing to do but to judge other people. Don’t be so rude miss.
Yan ang sinasabi ko, this law widens the gap of the rich, powerful vs the middle class. power tripping sila.
e ikaw?bully tripping lang?!
Di kaya bullying din ginagawa mo niyan sa tono ng pananalita mo sa kanya?
“Don’t forget, I (and the rest of the people) am your uncle’s boss. Whether I’m right or wrong, it comes with the territory.‖>is this the right attitude?is this what you want others to think also?is this an acceptable excuse to lambaste and degrade a persona? shame on you.. i don’t think educated people will have a same thought with you
Tama yun. Kung edukado kang tao nde ka magsasalita sa kapwa mo na makakasira sa kanila.
oh..uncle’s boss?!tapang ng apog a!territory?kahit isa wala siyang territoryo sa mundo..kung di dahil sa tax ang mamamayan wala siyang territoryong tinatawag! hahaha.. it is really nice acclaim what’s not really yours!especially kung mapapahiya ka lang!
True! How pathetic he was. He don’t even care if his doing right or wrong once he was in his territory. A rude EXCUSE of him.
Sana naman kasi alam nya na medyo me problema na yung tiyuhin nya, wag na siyang dumagdag, sana pinagpasensyahan na lang nya, mahirap kasi if hot headed ka sa mga social networks, dami talaga babatikos sa yo! They should met up and apologize to each other, magbatian na kasi sila and move on, pareho din naman silang mga professional di ba?
Tama,perokung masyado naman ng nakakadegrade yung pinagsasabi ng kabilang kampo sa kampo nila Tito Sen. siguro naman sadyang sumabog na lang yung kamag-anak nyang yan dahil di na makatiis sa mga ginagawa sa kapamilya nya.
Pero baka naman grabe yung pambabastos na ginawa nung other party, tipong nakaka’degrade na sa buong angkan ng Sotto-Gamboa?
TAMA,di ka naman sasabog ng ganyan kung di masama o sadyang nakakagalit yung sasabihin sa pamilya mo.
This law is for the good of the country. We do this because we know what is best for you. We do this because I, you supreme, benevolent, and all-wise leader, loves you.
I hope that my friends Cocoy and Nick are very proud of this law, which we beta-tested in Filipino Voices a long time ago. With that success we are now so happy to share this benevolence with the entire country.
Um, what was that again?
Good for this country or good for yourself?
a law for internet must be in compliance with the nature of internet.
Then comes the question: what is the nature of internet? The nature of internet is anonymity. If we take those words into heart, then you’re not a pinoy. Neither you’re not pango, or lumpo or masakitin. HIndi ka DOJ, NBI or whatever. What are we then? we are anonymous.
conclusion: you’re not a lawyer nor a lawmaker. you’re anonymous. deal with this kind of nature of internet or you’re free to leave.