Fury in cyberspace

The campaign for civil disobedience has swept cyberspace, as the so-called "Dot-Com Movement" made its presence fully felt with cyber-placards and chain e-mails.

Anti-Estrada websites, which were immediately updated after the Senate impeachment court voted against opening the sealed envelope containing potentially damaging details about the "Jose Velarde" bank account, are now openly calling for "Rebolusyon," while countless others lay down specific actions that the people should take in ousting President Estrada from Malacañang.

Consumer advocate pldt.com has been transformed from a mere parody of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) to a daily online chronicler of the spontaneous nationwide unrest triggered by the decision of the "Group of 11" senators not to open the sealed envelope.

With a black background, a sign of mourning for the "death of truth and democracy," pldt.com features photographs of anti-Estrada demonstrations.

Another website, that of the Artists for Social Action and Response (ASAR, at www.asarproject.com), also changed its background from white to black. White, also largely used in anti-Estrada protests, symbolizes purity.

ASAR is responsible for the spread of anti-Estrada songs dubbed "Erapsongs" in MP3 format on the Internet.

Internet discussion groups, especially those hosted for free by eGroups.com and Listbot.com, have been flooded with e-mails calling on "Filipino Netizens" or citizens of the Internet, to join the "World Wide Web Revolution" against the Estrada administration.

ImpeachErapNow.com

Similar to pldt.com, the website ImpeachErapNow.com has become a daily online chronicler of demonstrations throughout the country.

But instead of using photos, the website uses harsh words that range from the humorous to the libelous to describe the unfolding national events.

"We have to pin the blame squarely on (Senators) Francisco Tatad, Juan Ponce Enrile, Miriam Santiago, John Osmeña, and their mascot-camp follower, Theresa Hindi Aquino," it said on its Jan. 18 update.

It described the five senators, who led the voting against the opening of the sealed "Jose Velarde" account envelope, as "Whore-Leaders of the Senate."

"If we remain silent, Erap’s crimes will be transmogrified to virtue and bravery, and shameless traitors such as our Whore-Leaders (who) will be arrogantly posing as heroes," it added. "Our silence may be construed as our willing consent to all these crimes."

ErapGuilty.com

eLagda.com, the website that initiated the gathering of one million electronic signatures to demand President Estrada’s resignation, has been renamed ErapGuilty.com.

At of 9:45 a.m. Thursday, it announced that 111,603 "Citizen-Judges" of the Internet "have rendered a verdict of guilty" on the four articles of impeachment against President Estrada.

ErapGuilty.com also features a section called "Bantay Senado," wherein it said that the 11 senators who voted Tuesday night against opening the second sealed envelope will be "pupulutin sa kangkungan."

Topping the list of "Kangkungan Senators" was Sen. Tessie-Oreta, who danced in the halls of the Senate after the impeachment court voted 11-10 not to pry into the sealed envelope.

ErapGuilty.com declared the 10 senators who favored the opening of the envelope, topped by Senators Loren Legarda-Leviste and Raul Roco, as "Mga Pag-asa ng Bayan."