What was supposed to be a joyful, historic 28th anniversary celebration of the 1986 EDSA revolution is now marred in controversy as various media groups and critics of the Cybercrime Law staged the first-ever ‘Black Tuesday’.
Denouncing the Aquino government for “betraying the spirit of EDSA”, sympathizers of the new law, which the linked to as E-Martial Law, called on ‘netizens’ to make their own protests offline. At the same, petitioners against the Cybercrime Law now plan to file motions for reconsideration before the Supreme Court, which upheld its ruling of the law last year.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, along with the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility and the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, all of which have been staunch protesters of the said law, said they plan to organize various activities to oppose the Supreme Court decision.
The media groups are among the 15 petitioners that questioned the constitutionality of Republic Act 10175, also known as the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, before the SC. While there have been some Aquino supporters who belittled the offline protest that coincided with today’s EDSA rites, opposition to the Cybercrime Law also gained some support from Congress, as several lawmakers lauded organizers of the so-called ‘Black Tuesday’ for staging such a protest.
