De Lima: Govt has nothing more to do than ‘persuade’

DOJ Sec. Leila De Lima. Photo courtesy of UNTV

MANILA —  Government action in the recent issue of websites promoting extramarital affairs, is only limited to persuading telecommunication firms and internet service providers against it, according to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Wednesday.

“We can appeal to the telcos to consider banning sites like that. I have ordered a research if there is any provision that can provide legal cover for us to compel telcos to precisely do that because it tends to encourage illegal acts,” she told reporters in an interview.

He added that a provision in the Republic Act No. 10175 of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 210 which was declared unconstitutional by the high court last year is what may cause this.

The justice secretary also explained that the illegality of the promotion of adultery under the Philippine laws is already enough to block the websites.

“Adultery remains punishable under the Revised Penal Code. From what we see regarding that website, it encourages extramarital affairs, adulterous acts,” she explained.

While other netizens are siding with the websites, De Lima said that she will personally work to block the dating site, Ashley Madison for its alleged facilitation of adultery or concubinage, which is punishable by law by with six months imprisonment.

“The telcos will have to do their part to ensure that illegal content and websites that are used to drive illicit conduct are not used,” De Lima sid.

“[F]or an executive officer to seize content alleged to be unprotected without any judicial warrant, it is not enough for him to be on the opinion that such content violates some law, for to do so would make him judge, jury and executioner all rolled into one,” she said.