Project Management and the Cybercrime Law

Although the RA 10175 or the Cybercrime Law is currently in temporary restraining order for 120 days by the Supreme Court where it has drawn mixed reviews when it was enacted last October 2, one might wonder, what would be the impact of this law on Project Management. 

In the IT-Business Process Outsourcing Industry, Mr. Benedict Hernandez, president of the Business Process Outsourcing Association of the Philippines reportedly said that, "The Cybercrime Prevention Act will help sustain and enhance investor confidence and strengthen our position as one of the world's top locations for high-value IT-BPO services." He noted that IT-BPO firms rely a lot on the Internet and computer technology as principal channels of their communication processes. He believes that the industry will benefit from provisions of RA 10175 covering system and data protection, device security, and penalties for computer-related offenses.

If the IT-BPO industry would benefit from it, I think the same impact would be felt on Project Management through the same provisions that the IT-BPO were referring to. We all know that project managers rely heavily on computer technology and the internet in order to keep track of the projects that they were handling through scheduling, budget, email correspondence, etc. If these things were protected or secured, chances are, projects would be efficiently managed as well as boost confidence on the overall project management industry in the country.

So far, I find the law beneficial specially in any process-related applications that would undeniably help both government and the private sectors as well as gives confidence among foreign investors in the future. What I find objectionable is the libel or simply stated - “the unlawful or prohibited acts of libel defined in Article 355 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC) committed through a computer system or any other similar means which may be devised in the future. (RA 10175 appears to have strengthened libel in terms of penalty provisions; the electronic counterpart of libel has been recognized since the year 2000 when the E-Commerce Law was enacted)”. 

It was well said that one of the last resources where you could find fearless views and opinions is the internet. It is actually the last bastion of hope where you could find any ordinary Juan can take the internet as its mighty tool to exposed scandals and corruptions. Government projects for one, which is the reason why it is always being targeted for scrutiny. We would find corruption on each stages of the project, from the bidding process up to the final audit report. Every taxpayers are entitled to know if the money spent are handled well or not.

The government is again reviewing the law and hopefully, they should take into consideration the libel part of it. It is the first step where project management could be fully effective if not gain the trust of scrutinizing public where we find accountability and good governance would takes its shape for the benefit of the taxpayer’s hard earnings.