DEFENSE Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Sunday said there is not nothing to fear in a bill recently passed by two House committees, that would effectively repeal the Human Security Act or the anti-terrorism bill.
Lorenzana made the statement in reaction to criticisms of some quarters, which he said are mostly communists, that the proposed HSA law would lead to human rights abuses.
“What these detractors, mostly Reds and their allies, have done is to pick some provisions (in the bill) and the add their own interpretations to scare people,” said Lorenzana.
Among those who have opposed the measure were human rights lawyers Chel Diokno, chair of the Free Legal Assistance Group, and Edre Olalia, president of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers.
Diokno said the bill endangers “our basic rights and freedoms,” noting that the Anti-Terror Council, which is composed of top Cabinet officials, is allowed to order arrests which are supposed to be reserved for courts.
If passed into law, Olalia said, the bill would “terrorize targeted critics,” dissenters and social advocates.
“The people need not fear. The proposed law have safeguards for civil liberties and sanctions for law enforcement agencies,” said Lorenzana.
“This bill was deliberated lengthily by both houses and all sectors were invited as resource persons during these deliberations. All sides were heard,” he added.
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.
The defense and military establishments have been pushing for amendments to the HSA “to better capacitate and empower government security forces to combat terrorism.”
Lorenzana said the DND welcomes the passage of the HSA by the House committees. He said the proposed law “will strengthen the government’s response against terrorism.”
“The Human Security Act of 2007 is no longer responsive to the evolving nature of the threats we face, hence the need for a new law,” he also said.
The Senate version, which was approved in February, aims to “provide a strong legal backbone to support the country’s criminal justice response to terrorism, provide the law enforcers the much-needed tools to protect the people from the threat of terrorism, and at the same time safeguard the rights of those accused of the crime.”
Among others, it seeks to establish Philippine jurisdiction over Filipinos who join and fight with terrorist organizations outside the Philippines.
