ANTI-PIRACY & SYSTEM SHUTDOWN

By Reymundo Salao
Askal Projection

I was epileptically cursing at the ugly fact that we live in a society where the enforcement of laws is so imbalanced, that pro-capitalist, pro-corporate pig, pro-foreigner laws like the anti-piracy law have a higher degree of enforcement, than laws that protect the citizenry, protect the poor, and protect the common Filipino. I’m talking about the System Shutdown of last week. Internet Stations & Cafes that own, use and run computer sets that use pirated software, were raided by alleged agents of the NBI. As a result, some Internet Station & Café business establishments have been severely disabled, as their computer sets have been confiscated. And obviously, most of these stations are the smaller business entities, that would have to struggle neck deep just to remain in business. There were even talks that some office and school facilities have been included in the raid. But at the end of it all, the ones who raided these establishments, were reportedly, not agents of the NBI.

But NBI or not, it does not erase the thought that the Anti-Piracy law is something that is irrelevant to the present state of the majority of Filipinos. Only a hypocrite would agree that each and every law imposed by an imperfect government such as ours is indeed a law that is good for the entire citizenry. Why do people, especially Filipinos, have long remained loyal to the adherence of pirated products; from software to movies? It is because of poverty. Hard times call for each and every cent to be spent wisely. Practicality is a trait that we Filipinos should always observe.

Computer software is very expensive, but likewise, it is something that is essential for many of us modern day urban laborers. In the case of Microsoft’s Windows XP program; the single service pack of such a program costs THOUSANDS. The cost of legally buying a Windows XP program is in the amount even the upper class Filipinos cannot afford. Such a bourgeoisie price for something that could be copied for a sum of 200 pesos. But lately, the government has swore to wage war against the commercial pirates by intensifying its Anti-Piracy drive. Ironically, in the midst of nationwide poverty and mistrust with Democracy, the government has let itself be the wardog of the big corporations. The anti-piracy laws try to ensure that we are buying Microsoft products in its original price. The anti-piracy laws want to ensure that the Filipino common tao would pay an amount that could feed a Filipino family for a week, to Microsoft so that the Billionaire Bill Gates could buy more golden toothpicks for his already greedy empire. Piracy may indeed be a crime but in our circumstance, Piracy is not a crime; it’s an opportunity. It is the very essence of robbing from the rich to feed the poor.

Funny that the law instill such harsh sanction upon struggling businessmen, when the same set of laws have long let criminals run free. We have the politicians who have long become business tycoons because of their calculations of corruption that have successfully drilled holes in the budget of the citizenry, funneling mass sums into their own personal bank accounts and pet projects. It’s a miracle how many politicians have started out as just mere political popstars, and now have become owners of various businesses. Funny how the same sets of laws let Garci and Gloria run free without as much as a formal legal investigation where their actions (concerning the unresolved Tapped Conversation scandal) should be properly studied.

It must also be noted that we are living in an age when foreign capitalists are breaking ground in this country. While we are crippled by a corrupt government, and our nationalist willpower is weak, foreign capitalists have used this sense of weakness to their advantage by slipping in to the country, setting up dummy corporations, businesses that disregard the high taxes for foreign-owned businesses. Many of these are companies that would drain our resources to THEIR advantage. Someday, some Korean pharmaceutical corporation might discover the cure for cancer secretly extracted from OUR backyard unnoticed. They will reap millions, while we still wallow in poverty. Someday, some American Oil Corporation might become successful because they have extracted fossil fuels from OUR lands unnoticed. Someday, some Chinese software company would patent a supersoftware, originally invented by a Filipino, a mere employee of that corporation and be disregarded recognition for his milestone; someday, that software company will instill strict anti-piracy dictates on the government, to the point that they would sell such a product to us with 200% profit on their greed.

Admit to the fact that Anti-Piracy Laws are laws that KISS THE BUTTOCKS of the foreign capitalists and lash the poor, banning them from any involvement in 21st century progress. Anti-Piracy Laws make sure that the interests of the Capitalist go first and the citizenry only come secondary; even never. As a Filipino, where do you stand in the war that Anti-Piracy Laws wage? Are you the one that agrees to this kind of law? Or one who will vow never to stoop down to capitalist standards; to make sure that when you are looking for a good software, good home video products, and good computer resources, your first and only source to turn to is in the pirated stalls that represent as the forefront of anti-corporate, pro-poor commercialism? The concept of shareware in the internet, wherein several users share data and software get to exchange what they have with one another, is a concept that can obviously be observed in our community. If one has a software, a program, crack codes, installation codes, one can adhere to the concept of bayanihan by sharing a copy to his kababayan, without hesitation, without much thought of capitalist greed in mind. Let us prove that Anti-Piracy laws have no place in a Third World Country that needs to focus its attention on bigger problems that concern its own citizenry rather than give attention to making the capitalist pigs fatter.