THE CONFLICT BETWEEN Google and China brings up the matter of pornography through the Internet in the Philippines.

Google, the Internet provider, has threatened to exit China in protest against its censorship rules and alleged hacking. The United States government has backed Google, with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton denouncing the alleged restrictive censorship of China. China claims that Google has not observed its laws prohibiting pornography in the Internet.

It is an accepted principle of international law that a nation is sovereign within its borders in enacting laws and regulations. It is also a recognized principle that foreigners and foreign business enterprises in a country must observe its laws and regulations.

The Philippines has a law proscribing and punishing pornography. Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code holds criminally liable those ?who, in theaters, fairs, cinematographs or any other place, exhibit indecent or immoral plays, scenes, acts or shows? which ?serve no other means but to satisfy the market for violence, lust or pornography ?? The phrase ?or any other place? should cover the Internet web, especially because it ?invades? the home.

It is well known that in the Philippines pornographic videos or materials can be viewed just by the click of the browser. Boys and girls, even as young as six or seven years old, especially teenagers, are able to access such pornographic videos almost without restraint. This directly undermines public and private morals, tearing apart a basic fabric of our society, not to mention destroying the morality of our youth.

Internet providers, including Google, that fail to censor or bar pornographic shows or materials from the Internet in our country are violating our laws. The officers and operators of these corporations are subject to punishment according to law. They should be warned to stop the exhibition of pornography and if they fail to do so, their representatives in this country should be criminally charged, and their companies fined.

The failure of our government to enforce the law exposes its weakness, its subservience to and favoritism for these corporate Internet providers, all foreign. No self-respecting country would allow a foreign person or entity to dictate or flagrantly disobey its laws, especially those involving such an important principle as protecting public morality.

Google claims that some people or interests in China have been hacking its service. China denies it and claims it is also a victim. Let Google pursue its claim in the proper international court. This is a matter between the two. But it is certainly unacceptable that a company like Google should dictate to the nations it operates in what laws they should enact and enforce within their borders.

As a Filipino citizen, I am demanding that our government strictly enforce its censorship laws against pornography in the Internet to protect our public and private morals.

?MANUEL F. ALMARIO,

mfalmario@yahoo.com