OMB Plans To Impose Further Controls On I-Cafés

By: Gener Morada

While participating in the final deliberation of the implementing rules and regulations of the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009 in Tagaytay City yesterday, the Officer-In-Charge (OIC) of the Optical Media Board (OMB) of Executive Director's Office, Atty. Cyrus Valenzuela shared with the participants that he is in the process of drafting an executive order requiring the registration of hard disks used by internet cafe operators with the OMB. According to Atty. Valenzuela since the hard disk contains a magnetic component then it directly falls under the control of the OMB based on REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9239 or Optical Media Act of 2003

“We were quite surprised of the statements made by Exec. Dir. Valenzuela, if it is true then it would bring the ICT industry as a whole in the Philippines back to the ice ages” said Mr. Ed Zafra, an I-Cafe Pilipinas representative during the workshop lead by the DSWD. I-Cafe Pilipinas foresees that such a move by OMB will make the registration of hard disks used by internet cafe owners mandatory.

“This is a dangerous precedent that is being set by the OMB” Mr. Zafra added. "What would prevent the OMB to limit such policy only to the internet cafe industry, other industries, educational institutions and home users using computer systems in their day to day activities also uses hard disks in their computers as well. In a country whose business community is burdened by red tape and over regulations such an imposition by the OMB would mean an additional burden on their operations and would hamper its growth".