Rep. Rida Robes named envoy of Korean NGO's Internet Peace Movement

Representative Florida "Rida" Robes (lone district, San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan) has been appointed as an ambassador of the Sunfull Internet Peace Movement to cultivate positive Internet culture.

"I am honored to be an ambassador for Internet peace," said Roes during an ambush interview in Quezon following her appointment.

"I want to work even harder to come up with actionable strategies that will pave the way for more constructive and nurturing experiences online among Filipinos. We have to put a stop to cyberbullying, hate speech, and human rights violations on the Internet," Robes said.

The Sunfull Internet Movement is endorsed by H.E. Hang Dong Man, ambassador of the Republic of Korea.

The advocacy was started by the Sunfull Foundation, a non-government organization based in Korea whose primary purpose is to inspire people to 'post messages of encouragement and condolence to those targetted by malicious online attacks and the victims of tragic world events.

Robes lamented that netizens have come to expect online attacks when they share their thoughts online.

Social media platforms, she said, seem to have exacerbated the depression experienced by young people.

"We know we can't please everyone, but it seems that going online often draws out the most negative or destructive people. This can't go on. This prevents us from fully enjoying the benefits of going digital," she said.

Robes urged the Commission on Higher Education and the Department of Education to be aware of the far-reaching consequences of these digital stressors.

"With everything going digital, we're all spending more time interacting with others online. This is a welcome development because this means we're keeping up with the rest of the world. However, we also have to deal with the negative effects of being online. Cyberbullying and other hostile ore criminal acts online can be done in an instant," she said. - Robert Requintina)