18,000 Facebook users join anti-ConAss campaign in RP

Online outrage over the House of Repesentatives initiative to amend the 1987 Constitution has reached fever pitch with over 18,000 FaceBook users supporting a Web campaign to stop House Resolution 1109, which calls for a House-only constituent assembly.

As of 12: 30 p.m. Wednesday, a total of 18,305 FaceBook users have signed up for the STOP CON-ASS NOW! campaign. Blogger and former migrant worker Noli Benavent created the FaceBook cause on June 3, a day after administration congressmen passed HR 1109. 

Susan Ople, president of the Blas F. Ople Policy Center, urged Internet users to register their protest by signing up for the FaceBook cause to stop the Con-Ass resolution. 

“We are calling on bloggers and Twitter, Facebook, Multiply and Friendster users across the nation to use all available online platforms to express their indignation over HR 1109. Our goal is to have 100,000 FaceBook users supporting our cause by Friday, Independence Day,” Ople said in a statement. 

Last Saturday, Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez attended the first eyeball meeting of FaceBook users supporting the STOP CON-ASS NOW! campaign. In his message, Golez urged the public to use new media especially social networking sites to spread the word about the House initiative to railroad Charter change. 

"We've already elevated the forum to an international forum that already includes Filipinos and policy-makers of some governments abroad," he said. 

Ople said the center will conduct eyeball meetings of Facebook users in Cebu and Naga who support the STOP CON-ASS NOW! campaign. She said the center will also conduct information campaigns in various schools and universities to discuss the ConAss initiative. 

Ople said the Facebook campaign has become a vehicle to educate Internet users about the House initiative. She said the online campaign against ConAss can wield great influence because it is continuous, creative, affordable and has a global reach.

“The Internet provides several platforms for concerned citizens to express in their own words and through their own creative ways the outrage they feel against this latest attempt to railroad changes to the Constitution,” Ople said.