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Full Text of the Supreme Court TRO vs. Cybercrime Law


After fifteen petitions at the Supreme Court challenging its constitutionality and a flurry of street protests and hacking assaults since it was enacted on September 12, the Cybercrime Law on Tuesday was stopped, for now, by a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issued by the high court.
 
According to the TRO, the Supreme Court consolidated the 15 petitions and is now requiring the respondents to comment on them before the Office of the Solicitor General within 10 days.
 
The respondents include:
  • Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III-- Office of the President
  • Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Jr.
  • Senate of the Philippines
  • House of Representatives
  • Sec. Florencio Abad of the Department of Budget and Management
  • Sec. Mario Montejo of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)
  • The law enforcers according to RA 10175:
  • Sec. Leila de Lima of the Department of Justice
  • Sec. Manuel Roxas III of the Department of Interior and Local Government
  • Exec. Dir. Louis Napoleon Casambre of the Information and Communications Technology Office-DOST
  • Dir. Nonnatus Caesar Rojas of the National Bureau of Investigation
  • Chief Nicanor Bartolome of the Philippine National Police
 
The court ruling also set the date of oral arguments on Jan. 15, 2013, Tuesday.
 
The TRO is effective for 120 days or four months.
 
University of the Philippines law professor Theodore Te said on his Facebook account, "(I)t is time bound--four months (roughly 120 days)--indicates that there is a signal being sent; perhaps to Congress (amend quickly, i.e., before January 15, 2013) or perhaps to the Executive (same message but with a slight nuance--certify amendments as urgent)."
 
The Court also decided unanimously. Te said, "That it is unanimous is a recognition that the SC acknowledges the importance of the issues."
 
The TRO is considered the first major act by the court under new Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
— Shaira F. Panela with Pia Faustino/TJD/HS, GMA News
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