A governor, two mayors and a lawmaker from Romblon have called for the passage of the Anti-Terrorism Bill currently up for President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature, which dovetails with calls from a multi-sectoral group that said enacting the bill “will help liberate the people from the threats of violent extremism and radicalism.”
Davao Oriental Governor Nelson Dayanghirang, Mayor Jefferson Soriano of Tuguegarao City, Mayor Gregorio Alipio Pua of San Mateo in Isabela, and Romblon Rep. Eleandro Jesus Madrona all voiced their support for the measure, as they appealed to their constituents to support the measure “for the protection of the people.”
This matched a statement from Jose Antonio “Ka Pep” Goitia, Liga Independencia Pilipinas secretary-general, who said Thursday that “As we commemorated last June 12 the anniversary of our country’s freedom, the anti-terrorism bill should also be passed.”
Goitia said the Filipino people “deserve freedom against the tyranny, oppression, violence, killings of innocents, and the long-standing armed insurgency brought by communist groups, Islamic extremists, and other rebel organizations in the country.”
The legislation of the proposed anti-terrorism bill, he said, is key to end all forms of terrorism.
“This is a legislative measure that would free people from claws of global terrorism,” Goitia said.
Dayanghirang, as chairman of the Regional Peace and Order Council 11, expressed his strong support for the measure, saying this will boost the country’s campaign in the fight against terrorism.
“This is an urgent and essential concern. Ensuring the safety and well-being of the Filipino people is an agenda that cannot be ignored and postponed. This will allow for the consistent strides toward peace and development,” he said in a statement Friday.
Soriano and Pua, in a joint statement, said: “We also appeal to our constituents in Tuguegarao City and San Mateo to support the Anti-Terrorism Bill that aims to provide a strong legal backbone to protect the life, liberty, and property of the Filipino people against the threat of terrorism.”
Madrona said he thoroughly studied the bill at the House of Representatives before voting for it.
“I studied the bill prior to voting and voted accordingly because this is the best weapon we will have to deter the dreaded terrorist acts planned against malls and other public places by extremists,” he said.
Goitia said acts of terrorism must be stopped to allow people to live peacefully, stressing that the proposed bill does not discount inviolable rights.
The proposed bill is not a step toward martial law, he said, but a solution to the long-running insurgency, among other issues, in the country.
Goitia said the public should not cast doubt on the contents of the bill because safeguard measures against human rights violations are in place.
“It is clearly stated in the 1987 Constitution under Bill of Rights that the Anti-Terrorism Council has mechanisms in place for potential human rights violations,” he said.
He said the rule of law will reign supreme in the end.
“Civilians will still rule, law will still prevail, human rights will dominate,” he said.
He lamented that militant organizations are just using the measure for political agitation and propaganda against the government, amid a surge in petitions to veto the bill.
The bill was approved by the Senate last February while the House of Representatives passed it on third and final reading last week after President Duterte certified it as urgent.
The anti-terror bill is seen to provide more teeth to the law against terrorism and effectively repeals the Human Security Act of 2007.
It seeks to provide a strong legal backbone to support the country’s criminal justice response to terrorism, provide law enforcers 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.
