PRESIDENT Duterte yesterday certified as urgent a bill that will effectively repeal the Human Security Act, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said yesterday.
Lorenzana released to media a copy of the President’s letter, addressed to Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, certifying the “necessity of the immediate enactment” of House Bill 6875 or the anti-terror bill.
The House committees on public order and safety and on defense and security on Friday adopted the Senate version of the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (Senate Bill 1083) which will repeal the Human Security Act of 2007.
In the letter, the President said there is a need to pass the measure “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.”
Lorenzana again defended the proposal from criticisms that it will lead to human rights abuses.
Lorenzana said the opposition of some quarters “lacked basis.”
He said he read the bill and there are provisions to protect human rights, and provisions that provide punishment to members of law enforcement agencies who will abuse their powers.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año urged the public to support the bill, citing the global threat of terrorism.
“At itong mga terorista na ito nagpaplano din yan kahit tayo ay naka-quarantine at nandito tayo sa problema ng COVID. At kung mare-recall natin may ibang insidente na gumamit pa ng sarin gas para ipatupad yung kanilang terorismo. (These terrorists are planning even while we are on quarantine and facing the COVID problem. And if we can recall, there are incidents when they used sarin gas to pursue their terrorism),” said Año without elaborating.
