RJMarmol.com – Since 2008.

Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012: Ang Nakakatawa at Nakakainis

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(First of all, apologies to the people following this blog for its iPhone apps news and reviews. This is a momentary personal/political post addressing our situation here in the Philippines on the enactment of the Cyber Crime Prevention Act of 2012 that may well endanger free speech supposedly warranted by democratic countries like ours.

As a blogger who writes content regularly (mostly reviews), I am one with my Filipino brothers and sisters in ensuring that our right to free speech will not be stifled — or at least not for long. This post is written almost entirely in Filipino in solidarity with my online kababayan netizens.

Regular articles about iPhone and technology will resume tomorrow, September 29, 2012.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. — RJ)

Anumang batas na naglalayong bawasan imbes na dagdagan o bawiin imbes na pagtibayin ang karapatan ng mamamayan na malayang maipahayag ang saloobin ay kasuklam-suklam at walang puwang sa isang demokratikong bansa kagaya ng ating mutyang Pilipinas. Malayang pamamahayag na nga lang ang karapatang ganap kong nagagamit sa araw-araw, pati ba naman ‘yan aagawin pa sa akin? Akala ko malala na ang SOPA , PIPA at CISPA ng America. Yun pala may mas malalala pang ipatutupad dito — ang Cyber Crime Prevention Act of 2012. (cue horror music).

Sa totoo lang, matagal na akong hindi nagba-blog ng anumang may kinalaman sa pulitika, lalo na ng Pilipinas. At gusto ko mang ipaliwanag ng detalyado kung bakit, eh hindi ko magagawa dahil pihadong aabutin tayo ng siyam-siyam dito. Kaya dun na lang tayo sa simpleng rason — nakaka-umay na kasi. Nakakasawa. Paulit-ulit ang isyu, pabalik-balik ang problema, kwento-kwento, deba-debate – tapos sa huli, balik lang sa dati. Maghihintay na naman ng mas interesanteng isyu tapos ulit na naman. Palaging ganun. Samakatuwid, inayawan ko na yang political blogging na yan hindi para sakin kundi para sa iba – makabawas man lang sa ingay at kaguluhan. Makabawas man lang sa mga sumasawsaw. “Too many cooks spoil the broth” kumbaga.
Kasi nga naman sa political blogging, maraming “noise”. Kalembang, mga hinihilang walang lamang lata. Puro ingay, puro opinion, wala namang naidagdag na “value” sa usapan. Panggulo lang. Sabi ko sa sarili ko nun: “Sige na, kayo na lang mag-debate dyan. Dito na lang ako sa technology blog, may kulay pulitika rin, pero dun lang yun sa mga A-listers. Hindi isyu yun sa mga ZZZzz-listers na gaya ko (Oo, parang “zzzz” as in nakakaantok, sakto sa wordplay no?).
Kaya lang, nitong mga huling araw, may mga alingawngaw na naman ng isang nagbabadyang unos – isang pamilyar na unos na minsan ko nang nabalitaan sa America at minsan ko nang nabasa sa aklat pang-kasaysayan nung nasa eskwela pa ‘ko. Marami silang pangalan sa ganitong pangyayari – censorship, regulation, control, policing, moderation – Martial Law.
Alam nyo, mga kababayan kong Pilipino, para sa’kin semantics lang yan – big word para sa isang simple at maliwanag na katotohanan – PANANAKAL.
Nakakatawa sya at nakakainis. Alam nyo yung ganung pakiramdam di ba?

Nakakatawa
Nakakatawa kasi pakiramdam mo maraming nagga-galing-galingan sa paligid mo kasi akala nila porket maganda ang bihis nila at may titulong nakakabit sa pangalan nila eh alam na nila lahat – na alam nila kung ano ba talaga itong pinipirmahan nila.
Nakakatawa kasi pinalalabas nito na akalain mo, pag may kinopya ka palang mga pangungusap (o buong saknong) mula sa blog ng isang taga-America, inangkin mong sayo ‘yun at hindi naglagay ng proper attribution, eh okay lang kasi wala naman daw plagiarism laws dito (o anumang iba pang nakakatawang palusot).
Pero pag may orihinal ka namang isinulat tungkol sa “ibang” tao na magmumukhang masama sa interpretasyon ng taong yun o ng sinuman, mortal sin na yan at kailangan mong pagdusahan sa iba’t ibang paraan na dinidikta ng Cyber Crime Prevention Act  na yan. Maaari ka pa ngang humimas ng malamig na rehas – for being original.

Nakakatawa kasi sa dinami-dami ng pending legislations, ito talaga ang bibong-bibo nilang inasikaso. Hindi rin ako ganun ka-updated kaya pakibalitaan nga ako: Kumusta na yung FOI? RH? Petsa na???
Nakakatawa sya sa maraming kadahilanan pero higit sa lahat, nakakainis sya.

Nakakainis

Nakakainis kasi ordinaryong tao lang ako, walang bonggang Filipiniana o kagalang-galang na titulo. Nakakainis kasi alam kong sa likod man ng keyboard na ito o sa labas ng bahay ko, wala akong kapangyarihang gumawa ng batas o baliktarin o isaayos ito – na ang pirma ko ay walang kapangyarihang baguhin ang buhay ng higit 90 milyong tao.
Nakakainis dahil sa Cyber Crime Prevention Act  na yan, hindi ko na kailangang mang-hack o mag-spread ng computer virus para maparusahan at bawian ng online at offline life. Ultimo ang hamak na blog site at blog post na ‘to subject to “take down” basta may magreklamo na na-offend sila.
Nakakainis kasi mamanhid man ang daliri ko sa kakapindot ng keyboard na ‘to, ang totoo nyan eh ito lang ang meron ako. Salita. Opinyon. Pagkatao. Pagka-Pilipino.
Nakakainis kasi yun na nga lang ang karapatang pantay na tinatamasa natin, imbes na palawigin ay nakuha pa nilang bawiin.

Anong magagawa natin?
Pilipino ka ba? May magagawa ka. Paunti-unti. Sama-sama. Maki-pirma. Ipakita mong ang pirma mo bilang Pilipino ay kasing-halaga ng hinalal nating public servants. Pagkatapos mong “pumirma”, ipasa at ipamalita mo sa lahat ng iyong kakilala.

Hindi ito isyung pang-blogger lang dahil kung gumagamit ka ng computer, nagko-comment sa forums at blogs o social networking sites tulad ng Facebook at Twitter, apektado ka. At pag apektado ang isa, apektado tayong lahat.
Salamat sa pagbasa. Go forth and Multiply.

P.S.
Kailanman ay hindi kinokondena ng blogger na ‘to ang “trolling” at paninirang puri sa kahit kaninong tao. Hindi dahil kinokontra ko ang Cyber Crime Prevention Act sa kasalukuyan nitong anyo ay kinokondena ko na ang masamang gawain. Malalaki na kayo, alam nyo na dapat ang tama at mali. Maging responsible online man o offline. Maigi nang malinaw tayo.

May maayos na provisions ang Cybercrime Prevention Act na naglalayong protektahan ang mga mamamayan subalit hindi ito dapat ipinasa in its current form dahil may mga kwestiyunable itong nilalaman — isa na rito ang provision on libel committed under the Cybercrime Prevention Act , na kahindik-hindik mang isipin ay in-elevate nila as criminal (6 taong pagkabilanggo) — di hamak na mas matagal sa 4 taong pagkabilanggo kung hindi sa Internet ginawa ang libel.  

 

Let me know what you think… :)

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● About Me
Cecilia Regina Aquino Blanquera Marmol aka RJ Marmol profile picture

I’m RJ Marmol — writer, musician, and independent creator based in Manila.

I write songs, essays, and books about the messy overlap between money, overwhelm, creativity, identity, and rebuilding. Much of my work circles around what happens when life stops feeling manageable — and how we try to think clearly, make decisions, and keep moving anyway.

I’m also the author of Rebuilding Under Debt: Thinking Clearly When Everything Is a Blur, a nonfiction book published under Steady Hand Press. The paperback edition is listed under my full publishing name, Cecilia Regina Aquino Blanquera.

On the music side, I release work as HeyRJ. On the writing side, this site is where I gather my books, essays, notes, and whatever I’m building next.

Music

HeyRJ is my sonic soul project. I create raw, minimalist-style and deeply personal music interpretations that feel like a late-night conversation with your truest self.

By blending lo-fi acoustic textures with poetic honesty, my work explores love, loss, grief, healing, and the quiet in-betweens of life. Each song is a letter — a journal entry — a gentle companion for when the world feels too loud or too quiet.

While my catalogue began with intimate cover renditions, my work is increasingly being shaped by original writing, drawing from years of poems, lived questions, and emotional survival.

“Stuck Home Syndrome” released on March 20, 2026 is my first original 20-track album written during a period when time felt compressed and days began to blur into each other. The songs came from sitting with thoughts that had nowhere else to go — unfiltered, repetitive, and sometimes uncomfortable. It’s a concept album that isn’t built around singles or polish. It’s closer to a continuous inner monologue, recorded with minimal production and very little ornamentation and meant to be listened to as one cohesive body of work. The goal wasn’t to resolve anything, only to document how it felt while it was happening.

On May 29, 2026 I released new original singles – “Rapturous”, “Uh Huh”, “Look At You”, “All That” and “Blew Print”. I continue to release both original and cover songs and intend to so for as long as I can so check back every once in a while — you might. just find something you’ll like.

For business inquiries relating to music, email me at: heyrjmusic[at]gmail[dot]com or my personal email at: rjmarmol[at]gmail[dot]com.

Books

Rebuilding Under Debt: Thinking Clearly When Everything Is a Blur

A nonfiction book about what debt does to the mind — and how to begin functioning again when financial stress has made everything feel blurred, urgent, and overwhelming.

Rather than treating debt only as a financial math problem, the book explores the emotional and cognitive realities of financial distress: shame, decision fatigue, avoidance, panic, relationship strain, and the difficulty of making sound decisions while mentally depleted.

Published under Steady Hand Press. It’s available worldwide in ebook and paperback formats on Amazon. Bookstores and libraries can also be order it wholesale via Ingram.

Contact

For book-related inquiries, media requests, bookstore questions, or discussion-group invitations, you can reach me through the contact page on this site or send me an email to rjmarmol[at]gmail[dot]com or hello[at]steadyhandpress.com

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