CHIZ MEETS WITH E-GAMERS IN MAKATI

Opposition Senator Chiz Escudero ventures into the virtual world of electronic gamers and aims to tap the group's potential in community building. The senator met with local gamers at the e-games and Pinoy gaming.net Gamers' Forum in Makati City on Thursday where he had a chance to exchange views with the guild masters besides try his hand at online gaming himself.

David Lleno, General Manager of Hangad IT Solutions (mother company of Pinoy gaming.net), says the gamers' forum is intended to encourage guild masters who play the game to step out of their gaming shells and become real life leaders.

"Para sa akin tunay o virtual world man, walang pinagkaiba at lahat ng pwedeng gawin sa tunay na mundo, pwede ring gawin sa virtual na mundo [I believe there's not much difference between the real world or the virtual world, we can each do the same thing wherever]," said Escudero. "But I want to be given the opportunity to engage you in the real world dahil hindi lang naman puro laro at pagalingan ang mundong ginagalawan ninyo sa ngayon. P'wedeng magampananan ninyo ang maganda at malaking papel bilang mga mamamayan [because your world now doesn't just involve virtual games, as you can be major participants in nation-building as well as being citizens].

When asked whether he would lead by democratic or dictatorial means, the young senator said he would lead by example. "This means I will not ask you to do anything that I haven't done or something that I am not prepared to do myself," he continued adding that in "a dictatorship, no dictator has been made to account for any of his actions or inactions or for his or her failure to say what's needed to be said, and with the right words."

Escudero maintains that he will take full responsibility and account for any decision he will make. While he says he will listen to all, in the end he will decide on the basis of available options.

Local gamers were concerned about the growing gaming industry that is without government intervention whatsoever. One gamer mentioned having friends earning a lot of money out of PHP and gaming companies are without monitoring capabilities. It was cited that there are people who are scammed while high school students earn as much as P30,000 to P50,000 just by PHP alone. There are computer shops earning thousands in added income from PHP trading. The concern of local gamers is the lack of protection from scammers because there are no existing laws to prosecute these people.

"Parang libel sa internet, walang batas [Just like libel in the Internet, there are no laws that address this issue]. That's a plus pero para walang batas para diyan, that's a minus," noted Escudero. "I'm of the firm belief that government should only perform a role which the private sector cannot and is not willing to provide at an affordable cost. The question is do you want government to intervene or interfere in this particular line of activities? Because if you ask me as a lawyer, can you sue a person na niloko ka, who told you something that is not of the right value, Kinuha ang pera mo pero wala namang binenta sa iyo. That would be swindling. That would be estafa. If they sold something that is not there, that would violate the anti-fencing law and in a law created back in 1932, it does not mean that it will not apply to virtual items or something that has value in the virtual world. It would still apply with or without a law."

The senator did not fail to note that while he does not see any problem with government regulating the gaming community it might be the gamers who will be the first to protest and complain about too much government intervention.