Disini, Jr. v. The Secretary of Justice, G.R. No.

203335
DIGEST
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Petitioneis }ose }esus N. Bisini, }i., Rowena S. Bisini, Lianne Ivy P. Neuina, }anette
Toial anu Einesto Soniuo, }i., as taxpayeis, file a Petition foi Ceitioiaii anu
Piohibition unuei Rule 6S of the 1997 Rules of Civil Pioceuuie, the petitioneis seek
to 1) nullify Sections 4(c)(4), 6, 7, 12 anu 19 of RA 1u17S, otheiwise known as the
"Cybeiciime Pievention Act of 2u12" foi violating the funuamental iights piotecteu
unuei the Constitution; anu 2) piohibit the Responuents, singly anu collectively,
fiom enfoicing the afoie-mentioneu piovisions of the Cybeiciime Act.
Nameu as Responuents aie the Secietaiy of }ustice, the Secietaiy of the Inteiioi anu
Local uoveinment, the Executive Biiectoi of the Infoimation Communications
Technology 0ffice, the Chief of the Philippine National Police, anu the Biiectoi of the
National Buieau of Investigation.
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1. Sections 4(c)(4), 6, 7, 12 anu 19 of The Cybeiciime Act violate the
petitioneis' constitutionally piotecteu iights to fieeuom of expiession, uue
piocess, equal piotection, piivacy of communications, as well as the
Constitutional sanctions against uouble jeopaiuy, unuue uelegation of
legislative authoiity anu the iight against unieasonable seaiches anu seizuie;
- Sections 6 anu 7 of the Cybeiciime Act moie than uoubles the
liability foi impiisonment foi any violation of existing penal laws aie
in violation of the petitioneis' iight against Bouble }eopaiuy;
- Section 12 of the Cybeiciime Act, which peimits the NBI anu
the PNP "with uue cause" to engage in ieal time collection of tiaffic
uata without the benefit of the inteivention of a juuge, violates the
Petitioneis' Constitutionally-piotecteu iight to be fiee fiom
unieasonable seaiches anu seizuie as well as the iight to the piivacy
of communications;
- Section 19 of the Cybeiciime Act, which authoiizes the
Responuent Secietaiy of B0} to block oi iestiict access to any content
upon a !"#$% '%(#) finuing that the same violates the law, contains an
unuue uelegation of legislative authoiity, infiinges upon the juuicial
powei of the juuiciaiy, anu violates the Petitioneis' Constitutionally-
piotecteu iight to uue piocess anu fieeuom of expiession; anu
- Section 4(c)(4) uefines libel as a cybeiciime anu in ielation to
Section 6 of the law incieaseu the penalty fiom 6 months to 4 yeais
anu 2 months to the gieatei peiiou of 6 yeais to 1u yeais, infiinges
upon the iight to fieeuom of expiession anu also iestiicts the fieeuom
of the piess. 0nuei Section 12, a !"#$% '%(#) finuing by the Secietaiy
of B0} can tiiggei an oiuei uiiecteu at seivice pioviueis to block
access to the saiu mateiial without the benefit of a tiial oi a
conviction. Thus, RA 1u17S infiinges upon the iight to fieeuom of
expiession anu also iestiicts the fieeuom of the piess. The incieaseu
penalties, plus the ease by which allegeuly libelous mateiials can be
iemoveu fiom access, woik togethei as a "chilling effect" upon
piotecteu speech.
2. No othei plain, speeuy, oi auequate iemeuy in the couit of law, anu that this
Petition is theiefoie cognizable by the SC's juuicial powei unuei Aiticle vIII,
Section 1 pai. 2 of the Constitution anu puisuant to Rule 6S, Sec. 1 of the
1997 Rules of Civil Pioceuuie, as amenueu.
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1. The Cybeiciime Act violates Fiee Speech:
- imposes heaviei penalties foi online libel than papei-baseu
libel; single act of online libel will iesult in two convictions penalizeu
sepaiately unuei the RP anu the Cybeiciime Act;
online libel unuei the Cybeiciime Act will ensuie the
impiisonment of the accuseu anu foi a much longei peiiou. Such
changes will iesult in a chilling effect upon the fieeuom of speech;
- with the passage of the Cybeiciime Act, Senatoi vicente Sotto
III's eailiei thieat to ciiminally piosecute all bloggeis anu inteinet
useis who weie ciitical of his allegeu plagiaiism of online mateiials
foi use in his speech against the Repiouuctive Bealth Bill became ieal;
thieat of ciiminal piosecution unuei RA 1u17S will woik to piecluue
people such as Petitioneis fiom posting social commentaiies online,
thus cieating a "chilling effect" upon the fieeuom of expiession;
- gives the B0} Secietaiy blanket authoiity to iestiain anu
block access to content whethei authoieu by piivate citizens oi the
oiganizeu piess sans any heaiing of any kinu but meiely upon a meie
!"#$% '%(#) showing that a paiticulai Inteinet aiticle constitutes
online libel;
- iesponuents must uemonstiate how the Cybeiciime Act will
faie unuei stiict sciutiny
2. Sections 6 anu 7 of the Cybeiciime Act violate the Bouble }eopaiuy anu Equal
Piotection Clauses of the Constitution:
- Peisons who commit ciimes using infoimation anu
communication technologies (ICTs) face the possibility of being
impiisoneu moie than uouble the impiisonment laiu uown in the RPC
oi special law, simply by the passage of the Cybeiciime Act;
- the cybeiciimes uefineu anu punisheu unuei Section 6 of the
Act aie absolutely iuentical to the ciimes uefineu in the RPC anu
special laws which iaises the possibility that an accuseu will be
punisheu twice foi the same offense in violation of the Constitution;
- Congiess cieateu a class of offenueis who commit ciimes "by,
thiough oi with the use" of ICTs in violation of the equal piotection
clause
S. The Real Time Collection of Tiaffic Bate violate the Right to Piivacy anu the
Right Against 0nieasonable Seaiches anu Seizuie:
- No compelling state inteiest that justifies ieal time collection
of uata; the authoiity vesteu on the Philippine National Police anu the
National Buieau of Investigation to collect uata is not bounueu by any
ieasonable stanuaiu except "uue cause" which piesumably, the PNP
anu NBI will ueteimine foi itself;
- While the piivacy of suspecteu teiioiists, thiough the Buman
Secuiity Act, aie piotecteu by the inteivention of the Couit of Appeals
befoie suiveillance opeiations aie conuucteu, the piivacy of all
citizens may be infiingeu without juuicial paiticipation in the
Cybeiciime Act;
- Neithei the PNP noi the NBI is iequiieu to justify the
incuision into the iight to piivacy;
No limits imposeu upon the PNP oi the NBI since they can
lawfully collect tiaffic uata at all times without inteiiuption;
- No stateu justification foi this waiiant-fiee unlimiteu
incuision into the piivacy of citizens
4. The Responuent B0} Secietaiy's Take Bown Authoiity unuei Section 19 of
the Cybeiciime Act violates Bue Piocess anu is an 0nuue Belegation of
Legislative Authoiity
- The B0} Secietaiy's oveiwhelming poweis to oiuei the
iestiiction oi blocking of access to ceitain content upon a meie piima
facie finuing without any neeu foi a juuicial ueteimination is in cleai
violation of petitioneis' Constitutionally piotecteu iight to uue
piocess;
- The Cybeiciime Act contemplates that the iesponuent B0}
Secietaiy will be "juuge, juiy anu executionei" of all cybeiciime-
ielateu complaints;
To consiuei that all penal piovisions in all specials laws aie
cybeiciimes unuei Section 6, it - follows that:
1. Complaints fileu by intellectual piopeity iights owneis may be
acteu upon the Responuent B0} Secietaiy to block access to
websites anu content upon a meie !"#$% '%(#) showing of an
infiingement;
2. Foieign sites (e.g. Amazon.com) offeiing goous on ietail to
Philippine citizens may be blockeu foi violating the Retail
Tiaue Law;
S. Foieign seivice pioviueis such as Skype may be blockeu fiom
offeiing voice seivices without secuiing a license fiom the
National Telecommunications Communication;
4. YouTube viueo may be blockeu foi piesumably violating the IP
Coue.
- The Cybeiciime Act fails the two tests laiu uown by the Couit
in *+%,%-% ./"0 1%"23 4#52 67 1/"#5#$% (uR No. 16671S) to ueteimine
the valiuity of uelegation of legislative powei: (1) the completeness
test anu (2) the sufficient stanuaiu test
1. Nowheie in the Cybeiciime Act's ueclaiation of policy uoes it
lay uown the legislative policy with iespect to the blocking of
content. No limits upon the takeuown powei of the iesponuent
B0} Secietaiy;
2. 1"#$% '%(#) stanuaiu is not enough to pievent the B0}
Secietaiy fiom exeicising infinite uiscietion anu becoming the
supieme authoiity in the Philippine Inteinet lanuscape.
2-#3*-'
1. Beclaie null anu voiu, foi being unconstitutional, Sections 4(c)(4), 6, 7, 12
anu 19 of RA 1u17S;
2. Piohibit all Responuents fiom implementing Sections 4(c)(4), 6, 7, 12 anu 19
of RA 1u17S;
S. Issue a TR0 enjoining the Responuents fiom implementing Sections 4(c)(4),
6, 7, 12 anu 19 of RA 1u17S; anu
Issue othei ieliefs, just anu equitable in the piemises.