On the Philippine front - in the midst of the current pandemic frenzy and the shutting down of major television network, ABS-CBN, Filipinos are frantically waiting for the final decision on the Anti-terrorism Act of 2020 signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in July 3, 2020.
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According to this act, officially designated as Republic Act No. 11479, is a Philippine law whose intent is to prevent, prohibit and penalize terrorism in the Philippines. This law effectively replaced the Human Security Act of 2007 on July 18, 2020 which means that officials can do warrantless arrests and removes the safeguard against wrongful accusation and detention. The act also allows for longer detention time which can open possibilities of physical abuse and torture.
The Act defines terrorism as:
- Engaging in acts intended to cause death or serious bodily injury to any person or end angers a person’s life;
- Engaging in acts intended to cause extensive damages or deconstruction to a government or public facility, public place or private property;
- Engaging in acts intended to cause extensive interference with, damage, or destruction to critical infrastructure;
- Developing, manufacturing, possessing, acquiring, transporting, supplying, or using weapons; and
- Releasing dangerous substances or causing fire, floods or explosions when the purpose 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, seriously destabilize or destroy the fundamental political, economic, or social structures in the country, or create a public emergency or seriously undermine public safety.
Petitions to overturn the new anti-terrorism law has been given to the Philippine’s Supreme Court which seem to be studying the law more closely especially one sent by the National Union of People’s Lawyers whose petition was made on the grounds that it is overly broad and essentially criminalizes intent.
***from https://www.npr.org/2020/07/21/893019057/why-rights-groups-worry-about-the-philippines-new-anti-terrorism-law
‘It includes such broad offenses as "engaging in acts intended to endanger a person's life," intended to "damage public property" or "interfere with critical infrastructure," where the purpose is to intimidate the government.’
The Act also received contention from the US Congresswhose 45 representatives calls the Philippine government to repeal the controversial bill, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet who said that it could have a “chilling effect” on human rights work, Nicholas Bequelin, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Regional Director says that it is the latest example of the country’s ever-worsening human rights record and Greenpeace who said that it is abuse to stifle dissent, and Greta Thunberg.
Previously, if a person imprisoned under the Human Security Act of 2007 were found to actually not be guilty, that person would be compensated for wrongful detention, with the cost "automatically charged against the appropriations of the police agency or the Anti-Terrorism Council that brought or sanctioned the filing of the charges against the accused."[9]
Under the new law, a wrongfully detained person would have to file a suit against the government in order to get any renumeration for having been wrongfully accused.
What do you think? Are you for it or not.
A lot of Filipinos residing in Australia still have families in the Philippines and are dreading the results of the final passing of this law. Tell us what you feel.
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References:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/07/philippines-dangerous-antiterror-law-yet-another-setback-for-human-rights/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/09/dutertes-anti-terror-law-a-dark-new-chapter-for-philippines-experts-warn
https://www.npr.org/2020/07/21/893019057/why-rights-groups-worry-about-the-philippines-new-anti-terrorism-law