Let’s ‘FIX’ the ‘PIUS’ misimpression

After setting up recently the Philippine Internet Users Society with its acronym PIUS, some friends     queried us if this group has got something to do with VATICAN in Rome, probably referring to Pope PIUS.

But we do have people in our midst, whom we call in the local language as “BATIKAN,” which simply means good and expert in their particular craft. If we are not yet at that level, we do aim that everyone becomes a “BATIKAN.”

We simply are not a religious group, although we accommodate Evangelical Christians, Catholics, Moslems, free thinkers, Zen & TM practitioners, and whoever you are out there. PIUS does not discriminate anybody as it works for the interests of the growing 24 million Internet users in the country. We also do believe in the humanist tradition that all men are created equal, regardless of race, culture, economic class, gender, political affiliations, or even religious beliefs.

We do strongly believe that we must build more on our commonalities as human beings, and not destroy each other based on our differences in a beast-like “survival of the fittest” and “dog-eat-dog” struggle in the modern economic and social jungle called the marketplace.

As many among our ranks are financially-strapped micro family-based entrepreneurs and ordinary internet users like youth and students, who do not even have their own computers, we are surviving and deriving strength from each other by pursuing this basic humanist principle of helping one another.

We are neither a political organization like a partylist group, gunning for the 2010 elections. Even if we are so, we will neither qualify as the law requires one has to be registered with the SEC as a juridical entity, one year ahead before the deadline for registration with the Comelec, not to mention one has to show a nationwide network. In short, we are neither religious nor political, we are simply doing our CIVIC duty to help each other, and pursue the interests of internet users and push our advocacy as spelled out in our slogan “Empowering Everyone thru Computer & Internet Access.”

So whatever are the initial misimpressions about PIUS, let’s FIX them now. In the local Pilipino language, we often say “Kung Sira, PIUS natin". (If it’s broke, let’s FIX it.).