Angara welcomes TRO on cybercrime law

Senator Edgardo Angara, though he is one of the principal authors of the Cybercrime Prevention Act, welcomed the Supreme Court’s temporary restraining order against the law. 

 

"I'm not disappointed. I welcome the pause because it will give time for the court to study and give critics the time to reexamine their position," Angara told reporters.

 

He said critics are not looking at the whole picture. Rather, they are focused on a few provisions of the law that they think are harmful to them.

 

"I think the purpose of the law is to expand their right to use online communication. And you must read the law, Cyber Act together with the Data Privacy Act," he said.

 

He said the Data Privacy Act is the law that positively protects the confidentiality and security of one’s personal communication.

 

"What the Cybercrime Prevention Act does is only to regulate socially destructive acts because you cannot enjoy your right fully and confidently if others have an equal right to interfere with your right," he said.

 

The anti-cybercrime law and the Data Privacy Act, together, expand the right of the user and protect the communication that he or she transmits, explained Angara.

 

In the meantime, Angara said the Senate will refrain from taking any action on the cybercrime law. There shall be no hearings on the amendatory bills filed by his colleagues. Angara himself has yet to file his own bill amending the cybercrime law.

 

"Ipo-pause muna natin. Out of respect to the SC, after all the SC is the final arbiter of any legal question," he said.

 

Angara was ready to comply with any SC decision, but he believed that the High Court will uphold the law.

 

"Pag sinabi ng SC, ‘O, section 9 kailangan siguro i-revise ninyo ito at medyo vague,’ we will comply with that. No one will be above the law," he said.

 

"I think ultimately the SC will uphold the law. They may find some provisions vague or maybe unnecessary, they may strike down those provisions but I don’t think they will ever strike down the entire law," he added. 

 

In contrast, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said the SC decision is "a big blow to the victims of cybercrimes." He said he is a bit disappointed but he has no choice but to respect the decision.

 

Senator Gregorio Honasan III said the parties involved should respect the TRO.

 

"The highest court in the land has spoken. Without prejudice to the mechanisms for appeals to the SC's decision/action, and proposed amendments from the Senate and Congress," said Honasan, "Let us respect due process and the rule of law so that the highest public interest may be served." — DVM, GMA News .