Crime Against Honor

"AN ACT DECLARING THE FILING OF FALSE COMPLAINTS AGAINST PUBLIC OFFICERS AS A CRIME AGAINST HONOR, PRESCRIBING PENALTIES THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES"

Now here is a perversion of justice filed by Senator Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr.

Let us say I think this act is a perversion of justice, and I file a legal complaint against Senator Revilla. We go to court and have complex arguments about free speech and legal rights and the honor of public officials, but I lose the case.

Senator Revilla then files a case against me, for his honor has been shamed by being so challenged, and I lose. The law says I can be imprisoned and pay a fine not less than P 50,000.

The law silences any criticism of public officials.

What we have here is a perfect example of the Filipino Ego at its onion skin worst, where any complaint is seen as a threat to honor. Does Senator Revilla not see that it is this same tenderness of skin that drove the Ampatuans to, allegedly, commit a horrendous crime?

My recommendation to the good senator is to "man up". Public office holders should operate under a magnifying glass. It is one of the precious checks and balances of a democratic system. One person's insult is another person's cause, and he ought not to try to suppress the advocates who see things differently than him.