MY OWN CYBERCRIME PREVENTION ACT

The Cyberspace is in total chaos! Protests both in the physical world and on the web have been waged lately just to assert the right of freedom of speech and/or expression after the Republic Act 10175 or commonly known the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 has been implemented. Aside from these protests, web hackers have also invaded and disabled a lot of government websites as an another sign of protest, showing their disapproval and rage with regards to the said new law. One of the provisions that the protesters are concerned about is the so called "online libel" found in Chapter 3 Section 4 which stated:

(4) Libel. – The unlawful or prohibited acts of libel as defined in Article 355 of the Revised Penal Code, as amended committed through a computer system or any other similar means which may be devised in the future.

With this provision, the Filipino people, especially the "cyber residents" are fearing that this will hamper our freedom to say what we want to say, whether it is good or bad to the ears. So therefore, now that this law has been implemented, the warning is: BE CAREFUL OF WHAT YOU POST AND WHAT YOU TWEET! =)

Anyway, if I was given the chance to be one of the authors of this Cybercrime Prevention Act, I would  have surely included the following provisions as punishable acts:

1. NARCISSISTIC SHOTS. Any individual uploading 5 albums of his/her solo shots or portraits is subject to this act. It doesn't mean that you have to flood other people's walls with 120 photos of that stupid hairstyle of yours just because you feel pretty.

2. CANNIBALISTIC ENGLISH GRAMMAR. Avoid using the English language in your posts or tweets if you are unsure about your grammar. Posts such as: "Maybe it is not my faith to win", "You are a beach! Beach! Duh!", "Dont you dear call me, gago!" and "You insult me ha? I can never affected. Bleh!"

3. TOTALLY NONSENSE INFORMATION DISSEMINATION. Posts like "I'm sleepy na,", "So tired.", "Bored." and "=)" are utter waste of space on your "friends'" walls. These posts must be immediately reported and stopped!

4. GRUESOME INFORMATION ASSAULT. Posts that depict morbid, gross and yucky imagery are subject to this provisions. Examples are: "Ay, bakit kulay green itong kulangot ko?", "OMG! OMG! Yellowish sticky puss is bursting out from my wound!", and "Super lakas ng regla ko ngayon, naka-4 pads na ako! =(" This criminals must also undergo psychiatric evaluation before incarceration.

5. KSP SOCIAL CLIMBER. This country is already populated with pathetic people such as corrupt government officials. While they fill their pockets with the people's money, a lot of marginalized citizens are drowning into the quagmire of poverty. Same so with these KSP Social Climbers on the web, they are so preoccupied posting their signature and fake collections of shoes, bras, panties, etc. just to be acknowledged. Never knowing that a lot of people out there couldn't even afford to buy a can of sardine.  So insensitive, not even a grain of humility left. And yeah, their posts, unbearable! "Here at SM City, so busy shopping." So what?

6. EMO TO THE CORE. "I miss him so badly. Hu hu hu... =((", " I wanna die na!!!", "Ikaw pa rin ang laman ng puso't isip ko hanngang ngayon." "I can't sleep thinking of you. I can't even breathe!"------------> Spare me! Guilty beyond reasonable doubt!

7. JEJEMONOGRAPHY. "30wh foh! h0\/\/ r u n4h?" Distortion of the mind. This must be stopped for Christ's sake!

Well, there you go. I have deliberated these provisions in my head for 15 minutes and I guess, for an idle mind, I find them logical enough. (Laughing out loud.) So if you like to amend the current Cybercrime Prevention Act with these provisions, then vote for me in this coming election. Romerei Macarse for senator!

Ciao!

THESE PEOPLE IN WHITE

I was 11 years old when I was first hospitalized because of acute gastroenteritis. Hopefully, that will also be the last. Anyway, I still remember clearly my stay in the hospital. The doctors, particularly the nurses, made an impression in my young mind aside of course from that dreadful chemical smell I always associate with hospitals (in which I later learned that it's called Cidex), the gruesome comfort rooms which made me tiptoe every time I entered to void, the uncomfortable bed sheets that smelled like they were soaked with chlorine for a very long time, and the intravenous fluid attached to my wrist's vein which made me feel like I was a some sort of an experimental creature I watched on TV. I both revered and feared the doctors during that time and I really don't know why until now. Maybe because they are often times serious and have this air of "dignified beings". But the nurses were different. I find them congenial, caring, soft and with a smile ready to flash when approaching their anxious clients. Quite the opposite of the nurses that we have right now. But then again, I can say that, not all at least. And that, there's a reason behind that.

So from that time onward, I had this dream of becoming a doctor, because I wanted to be dignified (who doesn't want to anyway?), or becoming a nurse because I want to be like an angel. Why angel? Because  every time I saw nurses in their white uniform, my young mind couldn't help but adore their neatness and "immaculateness", thinking that these people look so clean and so smart at the same time! It seems like watching them can heal both the heart and the mind!

Now that I am nurse, I could say that behind the white uniform that makes us look spankingly neat, behind the smile that seems to know no prejudice, and behind the adroit movements when doing interventions, is a job and a responsibility that is often times demanding, taxing and crucial. Our society have this notion that nursing is always equated with dollar and that when you are a nurse, you are either rich or will soon be rich. Little did they know that we often get small amount of sleep and that our schedules doesn't jive with the circadian rhythm; that we often skip meals and snacks just to finish our documentations; that we spend most of our 8-hour shift standing beside our patient in critical condition, monitoring every changes in vital signs; that idling is never been our business because every second counts especially when you are handling 20 clients alone; that we always become the shock and anxiety absorber --- clients plea on us for help, folks blame us when something goes wrong, doctors and co-workers ventilate their weariness, frustrations and anger at us when the day gets toxic;  and that we are always anxious about the safety and wellness of our clients to the point of never minding our own. When a nurse is on duty, he/she must be ready physically for the hustle and bustle in the work area, intellectually for safe clinical judgment and interventions, emotionally for all the feelings that might be projected toward him/her, and spiritually for the circumstances that might challenge his or her personal beliefs. With this aspects working simultaneously, a nurse might burn out sooner. With the health care industry presently growing more demanding, I am not surprised why there many grumpy and moody nurses today. They have no regrets about their profession, simply they are just overworked and under compensated. Exploited to be exact by this country who doesn't know how to value these people in white uniform who are always in the front line of the health care industry. Nurses care, but who will care for them? I wonder.