THE BLACKBERRY PRESIDENT

The rise to fame of Obama and his emphatic win against the Republican opposition has been largely accredited to the immensely systematic, strategic and effective cyber campaign that drew tens of millions to take note and listen. Since the growth of the net has been enormous, with an estimated millions of new users being on-line each year, the use of such strategy yielded staggering results. Not only is it important for informing people, the use of cyber-technology also encourages people to participate in the discourse of events that happen not only in a confined geographical area but in the whole world as well. With that in mind, advocacies that rights based individuals (e.g. human rights groups, Anti-violence against women and children, PETA) in the Philippines should ensure that they take note of such strategy and use cyber-technology the way Obama used it; precise, direct and systematic.

It is important, especially in a developing country like the Philippines to increase awareness of the public not only in protecting but also applying their rights against intrusions made by other people or even by our government. Despite the issuance of writs of amparo and habeas data by the Supreme Court, the best way to ensure that people are protected is for them to know and care about their rights. For until people are truly informed and capable of discussing their rights, then rules and laws would be nothing but ink on paper.