The newly-approved Anti-Terrorism Bill is another dagger that legitimizes the abuse of power and law enforcement, according to women’s group Gabriela.
Its vague and expansive definition of “terrorism” puts anyone in peril, the group said.
Any act depends on the interpretation and understanding of the law enforcers, such as, threatening to commit terrorism, inciting others to commit terrorist acts, voluntarily and knowingly joining other terrorism group or association, being an accessory in the commission of terrorism.
“The bill spells total death to our democratic rights. Even prior to its approval, activists and people’s organizations are already being tagged as ‘terrorist fronts’ by law enforcers, even presenting such accusations in congressional hearings,” Gabriela said in a statement.
With its approval in the Senate and most likely in the Lower House as well, the people’s rights and freedom will be subject to the interpretation of the law enforcers, the group said.
The bill makes open to abuses as crimes can be framed by police or military. “Don’t we have enough of Oplan Tokhang and extrajudicial killings?” the group said.
The bill only serves President Rodrigo Duterte, his congressional minions, and his military who despise opposition and activism, they said.
“As they want to maintain the status quo, they forge another weapon that will totally destroy legitimate demands of the people. Our justifiable demands for regular jobs, decent wages, quality service of water and power supply, prompt services during disasters, equitable distribution of resources, among others, can now be interpreted as terrorist acts. Critical-minded lawyers, church workers, and health professionals who work for and with the marginalized are not spared to be labelled as terrorists,” Gabriela said.
Because of the broad and vague definition of the bill, even businesses that support humanitarian causes such as disasters and victims of armed conflict will also be tagged as harboring terrorists, the group warned.
“And such acts could bring us to prison for 12 years on the minimum,” they said.
The bill obliges on the demands of the global anti-terrorism campaign led by the US government. US President Donald Trump just shrugged off the announcement of President Duterte to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) because he is confident that aside from the existing Mutual Defense Treaty and other defense agreements, his loyal cohorts in the Philippine senate and congress can give him a better deal like this Anti-Terrorism Bill, Gabriela said.
“The Bill wants us to cow in fear but we should face this challenge once again. It is a test for people’s organizations like Gabriela to continue asserting our democratic rights. We should not allow martial rule be legitimized through this heinous bill,” they also said.
This was the same sentiment aired by left-leaning fishers organization Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA), which slammed the approval of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.
“Why need an anti-terrorism bill if there’s already this entire government machinery that brazenly labels progressive organizations as terrorists?” said PAMALAKAYA in a statement.
PAMALAKAYA slammed President Rodrigo Duterte’s security cluster for pushing the “anti-democratic and anti-civil liberties” measure which according to the group, would “criminalize simple exercise of people’s democratic rights, including freedom of speech and right to assembly.”
“Filing of trumped up charges, arbitrary arrests, and extra-judicial killings against activists are already rampant across the country. Anti-Terrorism Bill is a tool for authoritarian rule and would worsen the abuse of democratic rights,” Pedro Gonzalez, PAMALAKAYA vice-chairperson, said in a statement.
“It is being pushed in the midst of prevailing struggles of various sectors against detrimental policies and programs of the Duterte administration. Would that mean that our fisherfolk who will assert sovereign and fishing rights against China will be labelled as terrorists? Certainly, it will face a strong collective defiance from the Filipinos who are already sick of another dictator,” said Gonzalez.