BY WENDELL VIGILIA and RAYMOND AFRICA
AMID fears that the Duterte administration could be use a proposed anti-terrorism bill to stifle legitimate political dissent, an administration lawmaker on Wednesday night withdrew his authorship of the measure which seeks to amend the Human Security Act of 2007.
Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon even voted against House Bill No. 6875 which was approved on third and final reading after congressmen voted 173 against 31 with 29 abstentions, saying he was against the House leadership’s decision not to accept any proposed amendment to the measure which is identical to the one approved by the Senate,
“I believe that we should stand up for the House and because of this, my vote is no to the bill, and my name could not be attached to a bill that is not my real work. So, my withdrawal as author of the measure is another thing I would like to present to the House,” Biazon said in explaining his negative vote.
At the Senate yesterday, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said the proposed new anti-terrorism law is meant to protect the lives of every citizen and not destroy them.
“Terrorism knows no timing nor borders. Some of our country’s policy-makers, especially our people, should know better than just criticizing and believing the massive disinformation campaign against a measure that can secure and protect us as well as our families and loved ones from terrorist acts perpetrated in a manner so sudden, least expected and indiscriminate – as in anytime, probably even today, tomorrow or next week,” said Lacson, principal author of the bill at the Senate.
The Armed Forces also defended the measure anew, saying it will provide focus in the military’s campaign against the Abu Sayyaf and other terrorist groups in Mindanao.
“It will further enhance our campaign… it will really allow us to focus in as far as fighting terrorism is concerned,” said Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the AFP’s Western Mindanao Command based in Zamboanga City.
Biazon, who was among the sponsors who defended the bill on the floor, said he does not agree with some of the views of his colleagues who were against the measure because he firmly believes that there is a need for a strong anti-terrorism law.
But the son of former Armed Forces chief and former senator Rodolfo Biazon said congressmen should have come up “with an important piece of legislation that is truly the work of the House of Representatives, not just a mere adoption of the other chamber.”
“I defended the bill with all my mind, but my heart was divided,” he said, just a day after he debated with deputy speaker Mujiv Hataman of Basilan who questioned the repeal of a provision that awards P500,000 a day to victims of wrongful detention who were accused of being terrorists but acquitted by courts.
Hataman, in explaining his negative vote, opposed the provision allowing the state to detain suspected terrorists for 14 days or more without a warrant of arrest, which is extendable by 10 more days.
The suspect can also be placed under surveillance for 60 days which is extendable by up to 30 more days.
“One thing is clear to me: This proposal gives more weight to the widening the scope of who can be tagged as a ‘terrorist’ instead of focusing on identifying and apprehending real terrorists,” said the former governor of old Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Hataman said the measure was approved without inviting resource persons from the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, and civil society organizations, who could have explained the bill’s effect on Filipino Muslim communities.
He said there are other means to address terrorism or extremism to convince those who engage in it to return to the fold.
“A gunfight is not always the solution. It could be development, dialogue, taking care of communities, and education to improve their state of mind and avoid falling to the hands of recruiters of the youth. Mr. Speaker, these reform measures, are among the pillars of counter-terrorism,” Hataman said.
The bill authorizes wiretapping of suspected terrorists for a maximum period of 90 days as an amendment to the Anti-Wiretapping Law (R.A. No. 4200) and detention without judicial warrant of arrest for a maximum period 24 days of suspected terrorists instead of the present three-day maximum.
It defines terrorism as acts intended to cause death or serious bodily injury to any person or endangers a person’s life; intended to cause extensive damage or destruction to a government or public facility, public place, or private property; intended to cause extensive interference with, damage, or destruction to critical infrastructure; engaged in developing, manufacturing, possessing, acquiring, transporting, supplying, or using weapons; and releasing dangerous substances or causing fire, floods or explosions when the purpose of such act, by its nature and context, is to intimidate the general public, create an atmosphere to spread a message of fear, provoke or influence by intimidation the government or any international organization, or seriously destabilize or destroy the fundamental political, economic, or social structures in the country, or create a public emergency or seriously undermine public safety.
SAFEGUARDS
Lacson said he made sure there are enough safeguards included in the measure to prevent its abuse.
The Senate bill was approved in February and adopted by the House last week.
Lacson said during the crafting of the measure, he incorporated most of the provisions of anti-terrorism laws of other countries such as Australia and the United States, and further guided by standards set by the United Nations, “save for the reglementary period of detention in which we adopted the shortest time of 14 days” extendible for 10 days.
Lacson said the Philippines has the shortest reglementary period in Southeast Asia, compared to Thailand which has up to 30 days, Malaysia up to two years, Singapore at 720 days and extendible to an indefinite period of detention without formal charges, and Indonesia up to 120 days.
Lacson said all concerned parties and stakeholders were consulted, and even senators interpellated and proposed their individual amendments, including all the members of the minority bloc.
He said the current anti-terrorism law or the Human Security Act of 2007 is a “dead-letter law” which has resulted in the conviction of just one terrorist and just one proscribed terrorist organization such as the Abu Sayyaf Group.
“To the critics, I dare say: I hope the day will not come when you or any of your loved ones will be at the receiving end of a terrorist attack, so much so that it will be too late for you to regret convincing the Filipino people to junk this landmark legislation” he added.