Now all three branches are acting stupidly on the cybercrime law!

I thought the Supreme Court will issue a TRO on the implementation of the Cybercrime law. Instead of rising to the occasion by doing its mandated function of determining the constitutionality of the recently passed law, the noble Supreme Court choose to delay deliberations on seven petitions questioning the constitutionality of certain provisions of the Cybercrime law.

Specifically, the SC refused to take a stand on the following sections:

• Sec 4. which includes cyber defamation, cyber threats and Internet libel in the list of cybercrimes subject to prosecution by the Department of Justice.
  
  
• Sec. 6. which hands down a higher degree of punishment for people found guilty of libel and allows them to be charged separately under the Revised Penal Code for the same offense.
  
  
• Sec 19. which gives the secretary of justice the power to block or restrict access to any content upon prima facie finding of violation of the law even without trial.
  

The law was passed Sep 14. Thats too long a time for them justices to discuss the merits of the petitions to nullify parts of the Cybercrime Law. Score a -1 for the Concepcion-Morales Ma. Lourdes Sereno led Supreme Court.

Further reading:

• Who inserted the libel provisions?
  Raissa Robles: Sotto inserted libel section
  
  
• philstar: SC refuses to stop Cybercrime prevention Law