A congressman asked Internet cafes to impose curfews in their shops to students and minors.
“We appeal to LGUs [local government units] to compel Internet operators to impose a strict student color-coding scheme wherein there’s a time limit for students or minors accessing Internet games,” he said in a statement.
“By 6 p.m. or 7 p.m., no students or minors should be seen in front of Internet computers. They should be inside their homes by that time either having dinner or praying the Angelus,” he said.
Noel said Internet cafe operators should also be conscientious in offering Internet games that provided good and positive values to children.
The lawmaker made the proposal after receiving several complaints from concerned parents that their children had become “so addicted” to Internet games that they even skipped classes.
He said he received reports that Internet cafes inside shopping malls were taking in students even during class hours.
“A responsible Internet cafe operator should shoo-away uniformed customers who are obviously skipping their classes,” he said.
He also expressed alarm that most of the Internet games being offered by the operators were violent and had no educational value.
“What positive values could we get from games whose main objective is to invade a territory, destroy a military base, and fight-off zombies with blazing guns and tanks?” he said.
“Soon we will be producing adults who are war-freak and utak-pulbura [violent] who will approach their daily problems with the mindset of a warrior or a terminator,” he said.
Well. What can I say?
He also expressed alarm that most of the Internet games being offered by the operators were violent and had no educational value.
“What positive values could we get from games whose main objective is to invade a territory, destroy a military base, and fight-off zombies with blazing guns and tanks?” he said.
–What positive values could we get from congressmen whose main objective is to invade government funds, destroy the opponent’s character, and fight off impeachment bids with blabbering mouths?
“The lawmaker made the proposal after receiving several complaints from concerned parents that their children had become ‘so addicted’ to Internet games that they even skipped classes.”
–While Internet cafes have a part in this, it is primarily the responsibility of parents to teach their kids on this issue. Parents who complain are lazy.
Anyway I give this situation to the congressman: Assuming that I am a student who has no computer and no Internet access at home. A teacher gave us some research assignments, and the information needed is not in the library. The computer and Internet labs at school are either full, closed, defective, have slow Internet connections or no connection at home. So I go out and rent. Fine. What if my last class ends at 6PM? Or 7PM? Or 9PM? And my class begins at 7AM.
Mr. Congressman, we have a phrase for that. It’s called throwing the baby with the bathwater.
It is people like him that what makes me apprehensive about a parliamentary system, much more a unicameral one. Those who signed the initiative will know the error of their ways soon enough.