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Aug

19

The Anti-Obscenity Bill: What Does It Mean for Artists?

Filed Under My Art, My Comics, Politics | 53 Comments

Adam! sent me a document a few days ago, outlining a proposed law against obscenity here in the Philippines. I read the document with great interest, and with much horror when I realized what it proposes. I think a lot of people, not only artists, need to be concerned with this bill because while it battles obscenity in all its forms, it also seriously curtails many of our legitimate freedoms.

You can download a copy of it here:
http://www.senate.gov.ph/lis/bill_res.aspx?congress=14&q=SBN-2464

Please read the bill linked there. It’s all right, it’s a short one.

I could quote select passages from it, but I’ll end up quoting ALL of it, because all of it is quite disturbing. I do want to point out this bit:

“Regardless of the motive of the author thereof.”

As an artist, this is a bill that gravely concerns me because it has the potential to seriously curtail not only my freedoms as an artist, but my the ability to make my own choices as a mature, intelligent and moral human being.

The initial reaction would be to react with fury and indignation, as a younger me might have done. I already see a fair bit of it online. But I’m concerned that people would only see the anger, and not the point we want to make. I believe the way to react realistically to this would be to work within the system for us to be heard and seriously considered.

To those who might know, what are the legal means by which a bill like this can be opposed? This is not yet LAW, so there is still enough opportunity to do something about it.

Who are the Congressmen and Senators we need to get in touch with that could oppose this bill on our behalf? Senator Chiz Escudero?

Times like this I’m kicking myself for not being fully aware about how this all works. The Senate, Congress, the entire law making process. I’ll be making inquiries shortly after posting this.

For now, all I could think to do was write Senator Manny Villar, the author of this bill, an email. I honestly don’t know if he will be able to read it, or an intern there reads it and throws it away, but I felt I just had to do something. This is not the exact email I sent him, as I’ve expounded a bit more here because other things came into my mind after sending it.

If you want to email Senator Villar yourself, please do so here. Now remember, people are more open to opposition and opposing views if they are articulately, intelligently, and calmly stated. It would not help our cause to bite his head off and call him names, although that’s exactly what my first impulse was.

**********************

Dear Sir,

This comes from a concerned citizen of the Philippines, namely, myself. Let me begin by saying that I do not condone pornography in any way, nor do I condone obscenity. I have very conservative religious views. I am in a legal and faithful bond with my wife, who I love very much, and I frown upon seeing publications like Playboy, Playhouse, FHM and similar sort of reading material in plain view of children in the malls.

I do sincerely believe that there is a need for a law like this to moderate such things.

However, I am also an artist, and I have grave concerns as to what it means to me and my work. As an artist, I believe that the nude body is not an object of obscenity, but an object of beauty. If and when I do a piece of art with nudity, be it a photograph, a drawing, or a painting, I don’t do it with any prurient intentions or intend to arouse the same in other people. I do it to celebrate an honest to goodness beautiful creation of God. For where else does our bodies come from but from God?

I believe there is a place for such appreciation in society in mature and intelligent adults, and I do believe such things be kept from children who are not old enough to appreciate such things. I am concerned that the choice to appreciate such material is being made for me, as if I am an immature child who cannot think for himself.

I do understand that there is concern that the proliferation of such material causes a decay in our morals.  But look at me. I’m faithful to my wife. I don’t indulge in any depraved sexual activity. I abhor corruption, and I always strive to do what I believe to be right, even if it means I lose money, friends or position. I’m a very moral man, and seeing nude images of women has never affected me in any detrimental way.

For instance, there’s me, and there’s another guy named Jeff. We both browse a copy of the same issue of Playboy. Afterwards, I go back to work. Jeff on the other hand, rapes a girl. Does that mean Jeff raped a girl because he read Playboy? If so, why didn’t I? It only means that there is a fundamental flaw in the character of Jeff, a fundamental flaw the origins of which are much deeper than we think.

The problem is much much deeper. A law like this is like a finger in a bleeding dike, a band aid solution to a problem that’s much bigger than many people realize. This problem is the root of not only the decay of morals, but of corruption, poverty, and many other problems in our society.

I’m talking about education.

I’m not talking about schools. I’m talking about the proper upbringing of children by their parents. There is so much emphasis and pressure from society and family for husband and wife to have children, regardless of whether they are responsible enough, or capable enough to support and teach them. In the end, we have a lot of children who are not properly housed, fed, and educated, by parents who had been raised the same way.

THIS is the root of most of our problems.

Couples should, first and foremost, seriously consider if they really want children, if it’s a choice that they are making, and not a decision that’s being forced on them by family, friends and society. Second, they should consider if they have the means to raise them, and raise them well. Because quite frankly, a lot of people are having children who shouldn’t.

If children are not properly educated, they grow up stupid and immoral. They turn to crime, to indecency, to corruption, and they turn to these things easily because they were never given that much needed structure and moral compass by people who should have: Their Parents.

I must take a moment now to thank my parents because they have raised me into the man I am now. They raised me well and I’m eternally grateful for that.

I remember a campaign poster of yours where you champion children. This is great! This is the point! And this is something that ought to be emphasized now, more than ever.

Thanks for your time.

Gerry Alanguilan
San Pablo City

Comments

53 Responses to “The Anti-Obscenity Bill: What Does It Mean for Artists?”

  1. auggie on August 19th, 2008 4:16 pm

    Gerry,

    Sino-sino ba ang mga nag- sponsor nitong bill ? I would like to know them individually, para sa darating na election meron tayong pakdidiskusyunan on who are worthy of our votes.

  2. Teddy Pavon on August 19th, 2008 6:50 pm

    In passing a bill, whether proposed by the congress or senate, goes through a lot of phases. It gets read by congress 3 times :
    1st to announce it to the congress and a date is set for debate and revision.
    2nd is when the debate and revisions happen – no revisions can be added after this phase.
    3rd is where they vote to approve or reject the bill.
    When it is approved, then it moves up to the senate, which employs the same 3 reading process.
    THEN, once both houses has given the ok signal for the bill, it still rests on the hands of our Skrull President if the bill should be approved as she has the almighty veto should she not find in favor of this.
    Only when a bill passes all these does it become law. BUT, like all laws, they CAN still be challenged if it is found to be unconstitutional and can still be declared void by the Supreme Court.

    As it is, I find the bill needs to go through a lot of revisions before it can even be considered for approval.
    The term pornography is still vague and is not elaborate enough (Gustav Klimnt’s work would be pornography as and FHM magazine would be…which is weird).
    This bill is iffy at best. Its ok, but somehow it diminishes our freedom of expression, which is guaranteed by the constitution.

    But that being said, my suggestion would be to talk to your congressman first, as they get first dibbs on this bill anyway. Try to find out if they’ve scheduled a second reading yet (or maybe they havent even done the first reading yet) and I suppose voice out your oppinions to him so he can bring it up during the bill’s hearing.

    ^_^

  3. Gerry Alanguilan on August 19th, 2008 7:07 pm

    Thanks Teddy! If there’s anything vague about this, I suppose all the details will come later when the Implementing Rules and Regulations are formulated, but I certainly hope it doesn’t get THAT far.

    Auggie, as far as I know, it’s only Manny Villar who had proposed it. I’m still trying to find out who else supports and endorses it.

  4. Ed on August 19th, 2008 7:08 pm

    It’s just weird huh? Just like when you watch Sex And The City on cable at 2:00 am where everybody’s asleep, when cable companies will cut a scene when there are bed scenes that has to do with the story.

    Then you contacted the company to complain about it. And they’ll say there might be children watching that’s why they cut what you suppose to enjoy watching. It seems like they’re telling you that TV’s are everyone’s baby sitter…at 2:00am! Duh.

    This new law being proposed is not good. I agree with you, Gerry. Education is the key.

    I just wish they should propose a law that states; not to have NAMES of any politics (such as Mayors or Governors) to be named on government buildings and facilities when the money used to build it are from tax payers. Unless it’s from their own pockets. Get what I mean? :D

  5. Ferres on August 20th, 2008 3:36 am

    Potter Stewart, a former US Supreme Court Justice, once said: “Censorship reflects a society’s lack of confidence in itself.”

    FDR read the Bible, Hitler read the Bible. One of them killed 6 million Jews. I haven’t known of anyone who read Playboy and decided to off 6 million of anything.

    And there is growing evidence that the prevailance of porn reduces rapes and other sexual crimes. If this turns out to be the case, then the prohibition of porn encourages sexual crimes by it’s absence.

  6. Gerry Alanguilan on August 20th, 2008 7:47 am

    Actually, tama ka dyan Ferres. Sexual repression is a dangerous thing. I also believe that if you lift the restriction on things like boobs on TV, it will become so commonplace that it will no longer be such an object of arousal. Seeing something like that will do that.

  7. auggie on August 20th, 2008 10:12 am

    Yeah, but the Church will come after your ass. See how they obfuscate the population issue ?

  8. Ed on August 20th, 2008 10:15 am

    Sa ibang bansa like sa West, they sell porn magz with DVDs in any convenient stores; reachable by children pa sa shelves. Not a big thing na sa kanila. Kahit sa mga TV shows, they show nudity around 9pm; educational or regular talk shows or soaps.

    Sa ‘tin kasi parang batang musmos na pinagbabawalan na di pinagdadahilanan ang bawal; kung bakit bawal. Curious tuloy kaya gagawa ng paraan just to know bakit bawal.

  9. Gerry Alanguilan on August 20th, 2008 11:02 am

    Auggie… what can the church do, really? The best they can do is make sermons about you. I can live with that. But if they make this into law, the government can arrest you and throw you into jail. Now that’s tough!

    But in fairness to the church, and the latter part of my article, the church actually has one of the best solutions to population control, to stopping AIDS, and stopping unwanted pregnancies and abortion. And that’s abstinence. No premarital sex. No sex outside of marriage. No sex except to make babies, or use the rhythm method, if babies aren’t the intention. If people will not have premarital sex, and will not fool around with prostitutes and mistresses, a lot of these problems will mostly be stopped cold. The only way AIDS can be transmitted now is through foul play and blood transfusions. There will be no unwanted children born out of wedlock.

    Unfortunately, people don’t want this solution. Why? Because it’s too hard. Because they think it’s ridiculous and medieval. It’s old fashioned. They want the sex, the pleasure, and the easy way out. Never mind the responsibility.

    So when people get sick, unmarried girls get pregnant, increasing the rate of street children, increasing poverty, increasing illiteracy, immorality, etc., people turn around and blame the church for not allowing them to use condoms, etc. etc. Pointing the finger at the church, not realizing they have three other fingers in their hand pointing in their direction. It would be amusing if it wasn’t so tragic.

    Education. THAT is still the solution.

  10. Markus on August 20th, 2008 11:44 am

    “I do not condone pornography in any way, nor do I condone obscenity. I have very conservative religious views… I frown upon seeing publications like Playboy, Playhouse, FHM and similar sort of reading material in plain view of children in the malls.”

    “if you lift the restriction on things like boobs on TV, it will become so commonplace that it will no longer be such an object of arousal.”

    No offense meant, Gerry but I somehow got confused about where you stand.

    Then again, maybe its just me.

    Peace man.

  11. Gerry Alanguilan on August 20th, 2008 12:24 pm

    Hey Markus! I believe you did get me there just a little bit. :)

    While I do believe that nudity shouldn’t be displayed where it can easily be seen by children whether it’s in the mall or primetime TV. However, I also believe, in a wishful thinking kind of way, that we wouldn’t have to consider such things as pornographic if such things became commonplace. But we all know that’s not gonna happen. Not in the Philippines, not in a million years.

    Of course, I’m only talking about simple nudity, not unsimulated sexual acts in plain view of everybody on primetime TV. That’s a different story.

  12. Mike on August 20th, 2008 12:31 pm

    If the bill does get passed, it would make our personal creative work even COOLER because our creative team focuses on rude, blasphemous and heretical themes. Anti-establishment per se.

    If our work becomes illegal, or criminal then it’ll be waaaaaaaaaaaaay more fun to run circles around prude idiots like the bill sponsors, the clergy and any other despicable authority figure that seeks to impose its own moral standards on other people.

    Going to jail for obscenity charges would be a badge of honor for creative anarchists like my friends and I.

  13. auggie on August 20th, 2008 12:52 pm

    Mike,

    The more SUBVERSIVE, the better ?

  14. Mike on August 20th, 2008 1:03 pm

    Imposing a prescribed moral order on other people is EVIL so if rejecting shackles is subersive then by God’s grace let’s blow things up with explosive, anarchist, creative work.

  15. Teddy Pavon on August 20th, 2008 1:21 pm

    This bill won’t pass because we’re all still over zealous over anything that sounds martial law-ish.
    There won’t be enough political will from the people to back this up. We can’t even institute a con-con because people are still afraid it can be changed to the president’s advantage.

    **On a different note, if it does get passed, my guess it they’ll link it to PGMA and her ambitions to stay in power longer etc etc, even if Sen Villar’s the one who introduced the bill in the first place.XD. Ahh…politics…

  16. Gerry Alanguilan on August 20th, 2008 1:31 pm

    Yeah, let ‘er rip, Mike!

    In defiance of this bill, I’ll be releasing this new comic book at the Komikon 2008, a story that has been with me since 2000, and I’ve been aching to release it since then. I’ve already found an artist for this, a few pages has already been drawn, and I’ll be making a post about it soon!

  17. Teddy Pavon on August 20th, 2008 1:40 pm

    Here’s a food for thought:
    Violence on tv is allowed. We see dead bodies, chopped bodied, fractured, mortified, disemboweled corpses on everyday.
    All tv shows and movies show every form of violence. The church has no beef on seeing people shot, decapitated, or seeing blood in mass media.
    But show a boob…and you’re the sinner of all sinners!
    Weird sometimes to think that we are OK with excessive violence and hate depicted on our media…but the ultimate display of love(sex) or the depiction of beauty(the nude) is frowned upon.

  18. gilbert monsanto on August 20th, 2008 2:02 pm

    Sa akin lang, dapat nakalist ang tamang handling sa mga adult materials. Kung meron ka sa store, isulat mo sa windows at wag na i-display mismo ang Mag na pwedeng makita ng minors. Tapos kailangan mas mahal ang mga item na ito, para di kayang bilhin ng mga minor mula sa allowances nila. Sa Hawaii, may stores dun na pang adult, makikita mo lang ang binibenta kapag pumasok ka lang mismo sa stores. Simple naman yan, kung alam mo na ang tamang handling at mga bawal eh iiwas na ang tao.

    Malabo ang Law, mas malabo ang implementation.

    Best example sa Hawaii, sabi nung tour guide, please do not bring home any black sand. If you get caught 25thousand dollars fine. Tingin mo may magtatangka? hehe.

  19. auggie on August 20th, 2008 4:05 pm

    Mike,

    When I said subversive, it’s not in the political context (CPP-NPA, Ang Bayan, JoeMa, etc.etc.).It’s more on the realm of artistic/humanities context, na pang-asar lang doon sa establishment, but yeah tama yung sabi ni Gerry A., rip it up LOL !

    Gilbert,

    Black sand ? sa Boracay naman, White sand at marami ang nag-uuwi as souvenir item, isa na ako, Lol !

  20. Journalista - the news weblog of The Comics Journal » Blog Archive » Aug. 20, 2008: The turn of Nagraj on August 20th, 2008 6:27 pm

    [...] Story] Gerry Alanguilan sounds the warning bell on a proposed censorship law in the Philippines: “As an artist, this [...]

  21. leinil on August 20th, 2008 6:47 pm

    Gerry wrote:

    But in fairness to the church, and the latter part of my article, the church actually has one of the best solutions to population control, to stopping AIDS, and stopping unwanted pregnancies and abortion. And that’s abstinence. No premarital sex. No sex outside of marriage. No sex except to make babies, or use the rhythm method, if babies aren’t the intention. If people will not have premarital sex, and will not fool around with prostitutes and mistresses, a lot of these problems will mostly be stopped cold. The only way AIDS can be transmitted now is through foul play and blood transfusions. There will be no unwanted children born out of wedlock.
    Unfortunately, people don’t want this solution. Why? Because it’s too hard. Because they think it’s ridiculous and medieval. It’s old fashioned. They want the sex, the pleasure, and the easy way out. Never mind the responsibility.
    —–

    hehe, I was waiting for a punchline but it seems that you really do agree with the catholic church’s “solution”.

    I’m not planning to have a baby soon, maybe ever, but I do enjoy sex.

  22. Tintin Pantoja on August 20th, 2008 6:53 pm

    Wow. I don’t quite agree with the contents of your letter or your views, but I DO believe we have to do something about this bill. If you’re willing to start a petition or letter-writing campaign (that simply opposes the bill and doesn’t have all the bits about conservative morality), count me in.

  23. Andrew Drilon on August 20th, 2008 7:44 pm

    Gerry, thank you so much for bringing this to everyone’s attention. I’ve read the document and I confess to being as equally horrified by it as you are. I fully support you in opposing this bill, and I’ll be sending an email in soon as well. Let’s hope for the best.

  24. Gerry Alanguilan on August 20th, 2008 8:39 pm

    Thanks for the feedback guys! I have to admit comment #9 was bound to get some reaction. Please bear in mind though, I’m simply putting forward a solution that the Catholic Church is espousing, and it doesn’t necessarily mean I’m 100% for it, nor does it follow that I follow everything that the church teaches. I’m all for contraceptives myself. I just find it laughable that the church gets blamed for a lot of things that people should be blaming themselves for.

    People LOVE to pass the buck. Parents pass the buck of raising their children to artists like US who create films, music, comics, etc., putting the responsibility ON US to create material that’s appropriate, when it is THEM that should be guiding their kids what and what not to read, watch, and listen to. But they don’t DO that.

    So when their kids go bad, they blame US for creating “pornography” and “violence” in our “art” when they should be blaming themselves for not raising their children well.

  25. jose Mari Lee on August 20th, 2008 9:59 pm

    Funny how here in Canada, nudity and/or sex movies, books, etc., are no big deal. We even have a nudist beach just below the University of British Columbia, and in summer, the place is teeming with nude children, teenagers, and adults. Some Catholic priests even go down there.
    I even took there my nun sister (who lives in Montreal), and a visiting Catholic priest from the Philippines and his friends. At first, these pinoy guests were shocked. Hundreds of nude people in the beach? Oh, no!

    But soon enough, they relaxed and enjoyed the beach. We have TV shows aired at 4;00 pm, a cooking show where the chefs shows a lot of skin: the male wearing just a pair of thongs, the lady, topless and panty-less, with apron tied in front :) Very funny to look at, and that’s all people see about it. So what if their behind are exposed? It’s as natural as living.

    Because of this, do we have rape cases every minute? On the contrary. Does the Catholic church say anything about it?

    Not a word. Nor they comment on pornoigraphic theaters and videos, and primetime TV shows showing copulation.

    Canada is 60% Catholic, yet the Catholic church is totally separate from the government. Abortion is legal in Canada. The government pays for it if a woman asks for it. It’s been pro-choice here since the early 70s, while the Americans are still debating the issue even now. The Catholic church does its own business, and the government does its own as well. No conflict from intrusion.

    Come to think of it, despite the sex and what-not, Canada is a very peaceful place.

    And Laguna Pavon is right. Violence is something that should be curtailed, not sex.

    How old is this VILLAR guy, anyhow? Baka naman uugud-ugod na ito at baka pati VIAGRA ay hindi na umepekto! He-he.

    And Leinil, I’m really surprised, that you like sex! Akala ko lifestyle ng TRAPPIST MONK ang sinusunod mo. He-he. Sige, gawin mo iyan araw-araw, para makagawa ka ng marami pang magagaling na artists someday :)

  26. Ferres on August 20th, 2008 10:46 pm

    They’ve been implementing similar laws for decades with zero benefits for the country. Ban this, censor that and what has been the net result. Society is no better, our film industry became stagnant as well as our art and culture.

    Why keep trying to change a dead light bulb with a hammer, solution is not to use a bigger hammer. It’s just the wrong tool.

  27. auggie on August 20th, 2008 10:46 pm

    JM,

    How young is Villar ? he must be in his late 50s or early 60s, and he is one of the presidentiables. I surmise, that he is pulling this stunt, to court the support of the ultra-conservative Church in this coming elections. Something like a Right- Wing Majority, similar to the Neocons in Washington. He is also an extremely wealthy man. I think he is the wealthiest among the current senators now. He is also the senate-president.He is a self-made man and made his billions in the real estate business.

    Have you noticed the correlation between enlightenment and development ? In such advanced countries like Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Canada, etc. sex, nudity, birth control, copulation between consenting adults, is no big deal, on the other hand, Third World countries like the Philippines wherein the Church has tremendous clout, everything is big deal, but real violence is endemic. It’s Wild, wild East here. Guns & Machismo is a lethal combination.

  28. Ed on August 20th, 2008 11:53 pm

    Naiinis ako, even the sound of a gun is being censored sa TV! WTF?!

  29. Gerry Alanguilan on August 21st, 2008 12:35 am

    Ed… ows? Ano ba yang pinapanood mo? Yun kasing mga lumang pelikula, medyo bastos ang sound effects ng baril nila e… parang “POWTAH! POWTTAH!!” baka kaya sinensor. hehe.

  30. ZEITGEIST / Random Comics News Story Round-Up on August 21st, 2008 6:30 am

    [...] Comics News Story Round-Up * the cartoonist and prominent blogger Gerry Alanguilan alerts his readership to an anti-obscenity law being debated in the Philippines that if passed could have dreadful [...]

  31. adam! on August 21st, 2008 10:02 am

    I haven’t known of anyone who read Playboy and decided to off 6 million of anything.

    how about… six million sperm cells! ahahaha! oh yes.

    re: the Bill – a friend of mine who works for our distinguished senator from cubao remarked that the bill will most likely gather fungus and lichen in the senate floor, as per the usual with most bills forwarded to them, i guess.

  32. Robby Villabona on August 21st, 2008 12:25 pm

    The best example of how porn makes for a peaceful society is… JAPAN!

  33. Markus on August 21st, 2008 1:53 pm

    While I personally think that you cannot stop people from producing and/or using such materials, I believe it would be smart to impose some restrictions to it, as well. I mean, look at tobacco and liquor. They warn people – especially the young – about it. Why not have some sort of warning for these things as well?

    I agree with Monsanto na dapat eh sign lang ang nakalagay sa stores na me available na ganun sa kanila. Hindi yung nakabuyangyang sa madla. Like Gerry, I really feel disturbed seeing all these magazines that are within easy reach of the young ones. What kind of parent would want his 7 year old kid read them, right?

  34. johnbecaro on August 21st, 2008 3:30 pm

    Manny Should do a bill that will REENFORCE EDUCATION,VALUES AND FOOD PRODUCTION instead of this bill that will suppressed many artistic things that
    MATURE people wanted to see and express.He needs to SPECIFY things that covers the bill.

    And uh, sana naman magpropose rin siya na alisin na lahat ng pork barrel nila para masaya nman tayung lahat.ttsssk…politicians

  35. Eusebio Yu on August 21st, 2008 6:32 pm

    I don’t know what the big deal is. There are enough ‘anti-obscenity’ laws around. They’re just not enforcing it. What makes you think this will be any different? Puro Blah blah lang. Even if they muster enough cajones to ACTUALLY arrest people violating this so-called bill, I think the Komiks community is pretty safe. In the grand scheme of things, artists of the komiks variety are tiny blips on their radar. I don’t even think they know you exist!

  36. Ferres on August 21st, 2008 9:27 pm

    “how about… six million sperm cells! ahahaha! oh yes.”

    Lol! They were merely deported, besides they’re kinda carcinogenic.

  37. adam! on August 22nd, 2008 11:10 am

    Why not have some sort of warning for these things as well?

    pero ang punto kasi… nakakasama ba ang porn talaga? i mean, scientifically proven? sa akatawan, sa pag-iisip, sa pagkatao? kasi yun naman ang punto nung warnings sa alak at yosi, di ba?

  38. adam! on August 22nd, 2008 12:07 pm

    I don’t know what the big deal is. There are enough ‘anti-obscenity’ laws around.

    like what?

    They’re just not enforcing it. What makes you think this will be any different? Puro Blah blah lang. Even if they muster enough cajones to ACTUALLY arrest people violating this so-called bill, I think the Komiks community is pretty safe. In the grand scheme of things, artists of the komiks variety are tiny blips on their radar. I don’t even think they know you exist!

    so that means we shouldn’t complain about it, shouldn’t worry about it, shouldn’t try to fight it? kasi di naman tayo apektado?

  39. adam! on August 22nd, 2008 12:42 pm

    pete lacaba weighs in on the bill:

    http://kapetesapatalim.blogspot.com/2008/08/free-expression-censorship-manila.html

    ayuz!

  40. Ferres on August 23rd, 2008 7:54 am

    “pero ang punto kasi… nakakasama ba ang porn talaga? i mean, scientifically proven? sa akatawan, sa pag-iisip, sa pagkatao? kasi yun naman ang punto nung warnings sa alak at yosi, di ba?”

    The simple answer is NO. It has never been scientifically proven that it is harmful, on the contrary there is a growing body of evidence to support the contrary.

    The harmful effects of porn is a myth, akin to ‘old wive’s tales’. If it were harmful, the health conscious Japanese and European would have banned it ages ago.

  41. Ferres on August 23rd, 2008 8:35 am

    Ok, some people will probably make a lot of hay from a few isolated cases, Ted Bandy for example. Regardless of the fact that the guy was crazy and throughly ef’ed up.

    Well, a small number of people will die if they eat peanuts, nobody is calling for a ban on peanuts. :)

  42. leinil on August 23rd, 2008 10:55 am

    RE: Japan.

    we acknowledge their less than admirable treatment of women. If they get rid of misogyny, then Japan would be present day utopia: Ubiquitous porn and hi technology. what else could you ask for?

    haha.

  43. leinil on August 23rd, 2008 11:40 am

    wooops. “We have to acknowledge”. I truncate and rearrange phrases/sentences carelessly from time to time.

  44. Jose Mari Lee on August 24th, 2008 12:21 am

    I agree with you, Monsieur Leinil.

    Let’s emphasize the respect for women. After all, we all have mothers. That’s more than enough reason to revere our women.

    The Philippines can adopt what Canada is doing in terms of warning to the viewing public.

    Before any sexually explicit film or tv show begins, a warning is given to prepare those WHO MIGHT BE OFFENDED by the show. That’s all. It doesn’t mean the show will be band. In fact, there’s another new show called PORN WEEK. It is chronicling the ins and outs of the pron industry allover the world. a group of hosts and their camera men visit weekly the set of a porn show being shot, and some of the hosts are invited to participate if they want. Some guys actually join in. Shown at 9 pm, it can still be considred primetime. It is up to the parents if they don’t want their children to watch it. Though BRAVO and SHOWCASE, two Canadian networks that work independently with HBO, are specializing in sex shows. They’re the ones who bought Filipino films like PILA BALDE (Fetch Me A Pail Of Water), TUHOG (Skewered), CURACHA ANG BABAING WALANG PAHINGA (Curacha, The Restless Woman) and others.

    Many of their shows were done as co-prosuction with HBO and Telefilm Canada.

  45. solo on August 24th, 2008 1:06 am

    this is the first step to communism.

  46. Ferres on August 24th, 2008 2:52 am

    Leinil, there is always a love/hate relationship between men and women. The Japanese just have a real quirky way of presenting it.

    In Japan, a wife is entitled to take half of her husbands pension in case of divorce which she can instigate. :D

  47. auggie on August 24th, 2008 1:21 pm

    Solo,

    First step to communism, really ? and what has Karl Marx, got to do with it ? could you elaborate please ?

  48. Ferres on August 24th, 2008 10:28 pm

    Theocracy would be a better description. And we all know how women are treated in theocracies. This is where misogyny truly lies.

  49. Robby Villabona on August 25th, 2008 11:31 pm

    Depende siguro kung anong religion ng theocratic state. Pagkaalam ko female-friendly naman ang Judaism kaya ok naman sa Israel :-)

    The irony of Japan is, despite the somewhat the overall unequal treatment they get, Japanese women are the longest-living people in the world.

  50. Gregor Pilar on September 10th, 2008 12:18 am

    What’s wrong with pr0n anyway? It actually helps reduce the frequency of sex-related crimes in many countries! The state has no business with its citizen’s private pleasures so long as they don’t harm others. As if the present rating system isn’t stringent enough already!

  51. R.Galford on September 20th, 2008 5:46 pm

    Isa lang masasabi ko dito:
    UNCONSTITUTIONAL!!

    AN ACT PROHIBITING AND PENALIZING THE PRODUCTION, PRINTING, PUBLICATION, IMPORTATION, SALE, DISTRIBUTION AND EXHIBITION OF OBSCENE AND PORNOGRAPHIC MATERIALS AND THE EXHIBITION OF LIVE SEXUAL ACTS, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE ARTICLE 201 OF THE REVISED PENAL CODE, AS AMENDED
    …

    Hello?! Ano yung Exhibition of Obscene na pinagsasabi dito? Overbroad. Walang ending, kaya pag ang artist nag-discuss na about eroticism, nudity, pornography kahit academic readings and materials, yari na sa bill na ito. At baka si Oblation damitan na rin, obscene e…^^;

  52. I Oppoose the Anti-Obscenity Bill (Senate Bill 2464) : Komikero Comics Journal on October 26th, 2008 7:07 pm

    [...] here for my previous post: The Anti Obscenity Bill: What Does It Mean for Artists? [...]

  53. Ivy on November 21st, 2008 3:23 pm

    This bill was transmitted to the senate from the house of representatives, where it was HB 3305. Its principal author was Cong. Manuel “Way Kurat” Zamora, with over 60 co-authors.

    http://www.congress.gov.ph/bis/hist_show.php?save=0&journal=1&switch=0&bill_no=HB03305