Anti-Planking Law of 2011 by QC Rep. Winnie Castelo

The Anti-Planking Act of 2011 has been filed to Congress by QC representative Winnie Castelo.

Planking involves lying straight, arms by side face down, sans facial expression and imitating a plank (hence the name) while your picture is taken for posting on the web. It has steadily snowballed into a craze all over the world.

Solon denounced planking in street protest actions
Castelo, September 20th, 2011
In quick denunciation of what members of the League of Filipino Students did during the September 19 transport strike along Espana road in Sampaloc, Manila to show support to PISTON, Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo was prompted to file a bill to address an important concern.
In his bill, also known as the “Anti-Planking Act of 2010”, Castelo feared that planking will be used as a template of subsequent street rallies or protest actions initiated by students to express redress of grievances against the status quo.
“The parent in me tells me that this precedent in the case of the this massive transport strike where militant street protesters who are students of various schools have to lie down or serve as ‘planks’ across the road to disrupt what should be normal traffic could just be very dangerous in the future. Life and limb are pretty much at risks here were unbelieving bus drivers or law enforcement authorities might just ram through these warm and living bodies rolled out on highways”, Castelo strongly pointed out.
Indeed, in his proposed bill, the well-intentioned solon wants that a Code of Student Conduct be drafted to be implemented by Dep Ed in the case of elementary and high school students and the CHED in the case of college students who may have militant or radical student leaders engaged in street protests or demonstrations.
Castelo in the Explanatory Note of his legislative measure said, “Parents and teachers have reason to be alarmed if these similar protest actions will have as a scheme and scene otherwise warm and living bodies laid down across street highways as though they were offerings to the gods”.
Thus for the solon, “lest this picture read in newspapers or posted in the internet might evolve into a new mindset that just might go viral or very contagious, let it be nipped in the bud. The Filipino psyche of our young children in school is under attack – right here and now”.