Iloilo groups vs cybercrime law laud TRO

Protesters display placards and portraits of Philippine senators who proposed a bill and later signed into law by President Benigno Aquino III, known as “Cyber Law,” during their picket at the Commission on Elections office on Oct. 6, 2012, in Manila. Opponents of the Cybercrime Prevention Act who held protests on Tuesday in Iloilo lauded the Supreme Court’s issuance of a temporary restraining order against the implementation of the said law. AP PHOTO/BULLIT MARQUEZ

ILOILO CITY, Philippines—Opponents of the Cybercrime Prevention Act who held protests on Tuesday in Iloilo lauded the Supreme Court’s issuance of a temporary restraining order against the implementation of the said law.

“It is an initial but big victory but we must remain vigilant,” said Reylan Vergara, secretary general of the human rights groups Panay Alliance-Karapatan.

On Tuesday morning, Karapatan and the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan led around 30 protesters in a picket in front of the office of the Regional Trial Court branches in Jaro district in Iloilo City.

The protesters wore black shirts and had black mouth gags to symbolize the law’s perceived threats to freedom of expression.

Journalists who joined the protesters also wore black and changed their Facebook profiles to black to signify their protests.

The hosts of radio station dyOK Aksyon Radyo Iloilo intentionally blocked out their names in the introduction of their radio programs as a form of protest. Their names were also blackened in their Facebook page.

Bloggers in Iloilo also joined the protest by changing their Facebook profiles to black.

“It’s not yet over. We must remain on guard,” said blogger Antoine Greg Flores.