At this point it does not matter anymore whether it was the Senate, the House, the bi-cameral conference committee, or the President who is responsible for the anti-cybercrime bill. The two houses of Congress should have checked and balanced each other out and failing that, the President should have done it. They are all equally to blame for the passage of that law.
But the government has not failed us. It is our elected officials who did. Hacking government websites that perform a public service for our fellow citizens, ordinary folks who use those sites for information and transactions, is self-defeating. Let us not make war on our own kind. Let us differentiate between government institutions and elected officials.
If we are to take down sites then let it be the personal websites, blogs, and social media accounts of those elected officials who were responsible for waging war on our freedom. Attack the sites of congressmen, senators, and the president and those in his administration who were directly involved with the anti-cybercrime bill but please don’t hit the health department, social welfare services, passports, public works etc. because they have nothing to do with the crafting and implementation of that law. They are innocent bystanders in this war. They are simply performing public service. Hacking them just because they are part of the government is like exploding a car bomb in a populated area to send a message to the enemy. It leaves too much blood on the streets and alienates even those who might have found common cause with you, the hackers. Innocent bystanders are not fair game. Do not be a suicide bomber, be a sniper.
Government is made up of individuals, it is not a faceless entity. There is a list of legislators who voted for the anti-cybercrime bill, get their names and draw a bull’s eye on their websites and social media accounts. There is also a procedure that the executive department follows before the president signs a bill into law. Look into it so that you can identify the culprits. If any or all those people do not have any blogs or social media accounts, you can still hit them through your own sites and accounts. Pursue a scorched-earth policy against them. Let those to whom you gave your trust know the wrath of the betrayed. No holds barred.
It is now up to the Supreme Court to strike down that law. If the Supreme Court upholds the law then that means our highest elected and appointed officials have declared war on those who elevated them to their positions. You will know what to do if and when that happens.
Buencamino is a fellow of Action for Economic Reforms (www.aer.ph)
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