SUPREME COURT

PADRE FAURA
MANILA
MELENCIO S.STA.MARIA, SEDFREY M.
CANDELARIA, AMPARITA STA. MARIA,
RAY PAOLO J. SANTIAGO, GILBERT V.
SEMBRANO, and RYAN JEREMIAH D.
QUAN, (all o !"# A!#n#o H$%an
R&'"!( C#n!#)*
P#!&!&on#)(
- +#)($( , G.R.
HONORABLE PAQUITO OCHOA &n "&(
-a.a-&!/ a( E0#-$!&+# S#-)#!a)/,
HONORABLE LEILA DE LIMA &n
"#)
-a.a-&!/ a( S#-)#!a)/ o J$(!&-#,
HONORABLE MANUEL RO1AS &n "&(
-a.a-&!/ a( S#-)#!a)/ o !"# D#.a)!%#n! o
In!#)&o) and Lo-al Go+#)n%#n!, T"#
CHIEF o !"# P"&l&..&n# Na!&onal Pol&-#,
T"# DIRECTOR o !"# Na!&onal B$)#a$ o
In+#(!&'a!&on ( all o !"# E0#-$!&+#
D#.a)!%#n! o Go+#)n%#n!*
R#(.ond#n!(
X------------------------------------------------------------------X
PETITION FOR CERTIORARI
Petitioners, by undersigned counsel, to this most Honorble !u"reme Court
res"ect#ully stte$
PREFATORY STATEMENT
%E&"erience should tech us to be most on our gurd to
"rotect liberty 'hen the go(ernment)s "ur"oses re
bene#icient* +en born to #reedom re nturlly lert to
,
re"el in(sion o# their liberty by e(il-minded rulers* The
greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious
encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without
understanding. -.ustice /ouis 0* 1rndeis2
This Petition ssils in the strongest terms imginble 'ht m3ority in
Congress -House o# Re"resentti(es nd !ente2 hs dr#ted nd 'ht the
E&ecuti(e, through President 1enigno A4uino III, hs signed into l'* Petitioners
humbly come be#ore this ugust body nd most res"ect#ully "ry tht its Honorble
+embers, cting collecti(ely s the third gret brnch o# go(ernment, e&ercise
their constitutionl duty to unnimously CHEC5 the unconstitutionl cts o#
Congress nd the Presidency*
This is cse o# trnscendentl im"ortnce, #irst o# its 6ind in our history*
This 'ill herld the entry o# this Honorble !u"reme Court into 'orld o# cyber
communiction tht is "er"etully cti(e, globl nd #ree* According to the ,788
!outhest Asi 0igitl Consumer Re"ort,
8
thirty-three "ercent -99:2 o# Fili"inos
h(e ccessed the internet 'ithin the t'el(e-month "eriod, trnslting to bout
thirty-one million -98,777,7772 users* There re multi-millions more in other "rts
o# the 'orld, regrdless o# rce, religion, culture nd bc6ground, 6no'ingly or
not, 'ho 'ill be ##ected by the ssiled l' nd, e(entully, by the decision o#
this Honorble !u"reme Court*
As the ssiled l' 'ill immeditely im"ct on the rights o# e(ery Fili"ino
on the Internet ; oursel(es, our s"ouses, our children, our "rents, our em"loyers,
our 'or6ers, our trders, our techers nd students ; there is urgency in this
"etition* At the sme time, there is urgent need, s 'ell s 'isdom, to
understanding how the Internet is expanding and evolving our very concepts of
free expression.
The 'orld hs chnged nd is chnging* It hs become smller*
Communictions h(e gro'n #ster nd more direct* Thn6s to the Internet, "eo"le
8
htt"$<<'''*slideshre*net<truongbng<south-est-si-se-digitl-consumer-re"ort-,788