A day after the Anti-Terror Bill (ATB) was signed into law, 11 individuals were arrested for protesting against the controversial bill. According to a report from Karapatan Timog Katagalugan, the protesters remain to be illegally detained at Cabuyao Police Station despite not being presented with a basis for their arrest.
Yesterday, July 3, President Rodrigo Duterte signed the controversial Anti-Terror Bill which repeals the Human Security Act of 2007. While the newly signed law aims to combat terrorism, it infringes on our fundamental right to expression as it threatens freedom of speech.
The law’s definition of terrorism penalizes any person who will propose, threaten or incite others to commit terrorist acts defined therein as well as those who will participate in its planning, training, preparation and facilitation. People suspected of terrorism could be arrested without a warrant and put under surveillance for up to 60 days.
The law’s vague definition of terrorism enables authorities to tag anyone as a terrorist. Given the current political climate where the law is weaponized against critical voices, people who express dissent are most at risk.
The bill—certified urgent by the president himself—was railroaded through Congress despite mass opposition from the public. Human rights groups, activists, media and concerned citizens questioned its constitutionality and noted that its urgency was uncalled for amid the pandemic. Such move to ignore the calls of the Filipino people highlights the administration’s misplaced priority in the time of a pandemic: silencing its critics rather than fighting the virus.
With punishment and violence hanging around our necks, we are being terrorized by those who sit in positions of power. These authorities, deaf to the demands of its citizens, yet again go out of their way to silence critics by creating an atmosphere of fear and terror. We now live in a country run by those who tolerate the violation of our rights.
The UP Journalism Club strongly condemns the signing of the Anti-Terror Bill into law as it infringes on our constitutional rights to organize, to free speech and to a free press. In this political climate where critics are antagonized, this bill will only punish people who speak up against the injustices and violations of the administration. It especially endangers media practitioners and journalists who serve as watchdogs of the government.
We reiterate our call to be critical and to hold the ones in power accountable. Our call for the protection of our freedom must not be taken for granted. We must amplify our voices and show that the power of democracy lies in the power of the Filipino people. The fight is not yet over.
The law should not impede on the rights of the people it is entrusted to protect. Uphold the law of the land, protect people’s rights and value the voice of the Filipino people.
