With Bloggers’ Kapihan’s bold plan to launch blogs authored by Jun Lozada (yeah, remember him?!) and Ed Panlilio, the blogging community could be headed to a position that places is dead center in the cross hairs of the Arroyo government’s sights. Lozada was one of the most talked about personalities until recently due to his statements regarding the ZTE deal. He has been muffled in recent weeks because of high fuel prices and a looming food crisis that have dominated the headlines, effectively rendering people much less interested about a shady under-the-table deal with a Chinese firm.
Panlilio is a well-loved charismatic figure whose decision to turn away from priesthood to serve his fellow Kapampangans continue to draw mixed reactions to this very day. Since he started his term, he has also exposed revenue discrepancies in the quarrying operations in the province from the previous years. Among Ed barely won the gubernatorial race and the other elected officials in Pampanga seem to keen in reminding them of that fact. Despite holding the highest office in the province, he seems to be a leader with his hands tied.
The current administration has been very particular regarding keeping unnecessary information out of the press’ and public’s hands. Blogging has always been a viable platform that enables people to broadcast their message to an almost infinite audience but for some reason, those who have been muffled and disenfranchised in the past have chosen to just keep what they know to themselves. You can blame the technological divide and the generational gap, but you just know that these people who have been told to shut are probably just dying to get their side of the story. Opening the path to blogging to people like Lozada and Panlilio seems to be a double-edged sword.
While the value of freedom of expression is undeniable and is arguably a concept that should almost supersede any other idea out there, this move also exposes the once sheltered community of bloggers to possible run-ins with the administration. If there are thousands of people who are willing to read to a heartbroken and vindictive man’s repetitive and poorly-written diatribe against the person who stole his money, could you just imagine how much more people would be interested in a blog written by cult figures like Lopez and Panlilio?
In countries like Egypt and China, bloggers have gone to jail because of the things that they wrote against the state’s official religion and elected leaders. It is not a far stretch to extrapolate such incidents to happen in the Philippines. Filipino political bloggers have always had their way all these years. No one has ever been charged and they could criticize using the strongest terms but what happens once the spotlight finally hits this corner of cyberspace.
The Boy Bastos incident of 2007 showed that the government can in fact do something that is remarkably similar to the beginning of a “cyber crackdown”. With more eyes and ears listening in to blogs, we may be just a few months away from seeing our first blogger arrest.
Tags: broadband, Lozada, Panlilio, ZTE
FWIW, if ever a cyber-crackdown does happen, i suppose the pro-Arroyo or apolitical blogs will be safe or are you concerned about collateral damage?
collateral damage, definitely. Damage done to political blogs still counts as damage to the community.
It would be ironic if the advocacy of Filipino Voices would be to tone down the voices of others.
[...] Worst Case Scenario, Benj wrote: With Bloggers’ Kapihan’s bold plan to launch blogs authored by Jun Lozada (yeah, [...]
[...] Worst Case Scenario, Benj wrote: With Bloggers’ Kapihan’s bold plan to launch blogs authored by Jun Lozada (yeah, [...]
That would be very ironic, cvj.
[...] think Benj is wildly off the mark in The Worst-Case Scenario: The Cyber Crackdown. The infrastructure simply isn’t in place, either for regulating or monitoring content a la [...]
[...] of Jun Lozada, because it will bring harm to the blogosphere. This is probably in response to Benj’s article, but I doubt that Benj had that idea on mind, simply put, Benj is a free thinker, and all [...]
With Bloggers’ Kapihan’s bold plan to launch blogs authored by Jun Lozada (yeah, remember him?!) and Ed Panlilio, the blogging community could be “headed to a position that places is dead center in the cross hairs of the Arroyo government’s sights.
“Opening the path to blogging to people like Lozada and Panlilio seems to be a double-edged sword… this move also exposes the once sheltered community of bloggers to possible run-ins with the administration.”
Eh, ano po ang mungkahi nyo upang maiwasan ang tinatawag nyong “cybercrackdown”? Sa tingin niyo ba di dapat mag-blog ang mga kontrobersyal na personahe katulad ni JLO at Fr. Ed upang maiwasan ang kinatatakutan niyong “collateral damage”?
[...] Jun Lozada and Among Ed Panlilio’s Blogs May Cause Problems in the Pinoy Blogosphere? – Benj wrote an article over at FilipinoVoices.com that the presence of Jun Lozada and Among Ed Panlilio on the Pinoy blogosphere might expose the blogging community and cause problems with the Administration. You could read the whole article here. [...]
I still believed that nobody could stop bloggers in exposing the truth.
[...] your take on the concern raised by Benj on his post at FilipinoVoices.com: The Worst-Case Scenario: The Cyber Crackdown? “…Opening the path to blogging to people like Lozada and Panlilio seems to be a [...]
Kapag nangyari ang “cyber-crackdown”, di ba’t masasabi na din natin na pagsupil ito ng karapatan upang magpahayag? Yeah, it is possible, what with the atrocities of the current administration (ooops, pasintabi sa mga pro-GMA) ngunit sa palagay ko naman hindi ito papayagang maghari ng mga mamamayang Pilipino. I am certain that the slightest clue of a cyber-crackdown will get the pinoy bloggers moving to fight for their rights.
[...] of Jun Lozada by Blogger’s Kapihan. He wrote, the now, “controversial article”, The Worst-Case Scenario: The Cyber Crackdown. It garnered flack from all over the place, not to mention a few of Blogger’s Kapihan crew [...]
[...] read Benj’s post, The Worst-Case Scenario: The Cyber Crackdown, at Filipino Voices. In that post he mentions the worst thing that could happen with the influx of [...]
Cool man
Well year that is crap man so stop playing crackdown
From Joe 007
Some of the Bloggers are:
1. Shield Bloggers – They defend politicians from attack.
2. Shark Bloggers – They attack Bloggers that attack the Politicians
who pay them.
3. Salesman Bloggers – They pitch the agendas of politicians.
These Bloggers has sprung up like weeds in your garden. Only in a Blogosphere.