Duterte certifies as urgent new anti-terrorism bill

June 2 ------ President Duterte has certified as urgent the new anti-terrorism bill that seeks to repeal Republic Act No. 9372 or Human Security Act of 2007, it was learned on Monday night (June 1). In a letter to House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, a copy of which was sent by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to reporters, Duterte certified the necessity of the immediate enactment of House Bill (HB) No. 6875 or “An Act Defining, Preventing and Penalizing Terrorist Acts, Repealing for the Purpose Republic Act No. 9372 Otherwise Knows As The Human Security Act of 2007 And Appropriating Funds Therefor.”

In the letter, Duterte said the move to expedite the passage of the proposed bill is “to address the urgent need to strengthen the law on anti-terrorism in order to adequately and effectively contain the menace of terrorist acts for the preservation of national security and the promotion of general welfare.” A copy of the letter was furnished to Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Secretary Adelino Sitoy, head of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office.

Earlier in the day, Lorenzana said in a Laging Handa press briefing that the bill has already been certified as urgent, only to retract his statement after the briefing. He also hit back at critics of the bill, saying their fears of potential abuse of the law “have no basis.” “Binasa ko ‘yung panukalang batas, ‘yung karapatan ng tao ay may sapat na provisions at ‘yung law enforcement agencies ay may sapat na kaparusahan sa nag-abuso,” he said.

“Wala namang basehan ‘yung kanilang opposition (Their opposition has no basis),” he added, referring to the individuals and groups against the bill. Over the weekend, the House committees on public order and safety and on national defense and security adopted the Senate version of the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (Senate Bill No. 1083) to repeal the Human Security Act of 2007. The House’s counterpart bill, now known as HB No. 6875, will then be subjected to plenary debates.

Among the notable amendments in the new bill are an expanded definition of “terrorist acts,” an extended amount of time for a suspected terrorist to be detained after a warrantless arrest, the removal of the P500,000 fine for law enforcers who detained a suspect later acquitted of terrorism, and the prolonged period that an individual’s communications be put under surveillance.

Lawmakers who opposed the bill, including senators Francis Pangilinan and Risa Hontiveros, and representatives Jose Christopher “Kit” Belmonte and Carlos Zarate, expressed their worry that it may be used to “silence” individuals who dissent against the government.

Source: mb.com.ph