Editorial
With the government having no concern outside the preservation of authority and power, no one is safe. In the midst of a rampant pandemic threatening the lives of millions, the administration is insistently pushing for the immediate implementation of the Anti-Terrorism Bill of 2020, or Senate Bill 1083, instead of taking the steps necessary to mitigate urgent humanitarian and medical needs faced by the public.
This terrible rehash of the Human Security Act was made in order to “strengthen” existing “anti-terrorism” policies. Recently certified as urgent by President Rodrigo Duterte himself, it was written supposedly to contain acts of terrorism and preserve national security.
This bill, however, is nothing but a boost to state fascism: the granting of additional special powers to state forces and the creation of an “anti-terrorism” council combined with unclear provisions for what are considered acts of “terrorism” can suppress democracy and worsen the ongoing brutality.
The state forces, designated “to serve and protect,” are some of the most powerful perpetrators of human rights violations all throughout the Duterte administration.
From the extrajudicial killings of the urban poor and minors under the War on Drugs campaign to the crackdown on activists and human rights lawyers, they prove time and time again that they are capable of punishing anyone they wish, with little to no repercussions.
Even during this time of global panic, they excessively abuse violators of the imposed lockdowns under the guise of strict enforcement of quarantine regulations.
The Anti-Terrorism Bill will only make things worse, as it makes it even easier for them to deter expression and dissent.
State forces will be granted the right through the Anti-Terror Council to detain — without a judicial warrant of arrest — suspects of “terrorism” for a maximum of 14 days (with a possible extension of 10 days) before bringing them to court. This is more powerful than Martial Law in which a suspect has to be charged within three days, otherwise, the suspect has to be released.
The courts will also be allowed to declare individuals and organizations as terrorists as fast as 72 hours without a full trial.
Additionally, state forces can now breach privacy laws by wiretapping suspected “terrorists” and performing electronic surveillance for as long as 60 days.
It is clear that the state is giving the police more power because it recognizes their role in maintaining the status quo: the dictatorship that the administration is trying so hard to achieve (maintain), which is why the government has never truly acknowledged how inhumane and corrupt this authority has become.
Moreover, the bill’s terms are so glaringly vague on purpose for state forces and their proposed anti-terrorist taskforce to manipulate whenever they please. Despite legislators claiming that people who are not terrorists and their enablers should not fear, the propositions under the bill’s definition of terms do little to help and the examples of state forces do worse.
While preservation of human rights and the exemption of advocacy, protest, dissent, and mass action is mentioned, there is no clear explanation given for what separates these from terrorist acts.
This does nothing but strengthen the means of their insistent red-tagging of progressive and activist groups, with their expansion of the terms defining “terrorist acts.”
This risks the safety of even individuals just posting their calls online, as they can be named attempts to “create an atmosphere or spread a message of fear, to provoke or influence by intimidation [of] the government,” which falls under the bill’s definition of terrorism and can be penalized with life imprisonment.
This turns anyone with a phone, social media account, or anyone capable of voicing out against government actions a suspected terrorist, who can be held liable to punishment. A simple rant with the hashtag #OustDuterte could be used as evidence that may land the person who posted it in jail.
In the past few months, the Philippines was under what was considered one of the longest and strictest lockdowns in the world. Despite this, barely any progress has been made in terms of treating and isolating active cases or preparing the country for the new normal through new systems.
With the many problems that need addressing such as (1) insufficient healthcare and testing capacity, (2) lack of humanitarian aid for the poor and vulnerable, and (3) inability of the education system to sustain remote learning, working and deliberating on a bill that has nothing to do with fixing these will only impede mitigating these problems.
More than 40,000 arrests were already made within the first 11 days of quarantine for violating rules and curfew, but these are only because unlike the rest, the poor have no means of stocking food and resources — hence they are forced to go out more often.
Similarly, the homeless have also been persecuted. Considering the nature of most of these ”violations,” shouldn’t the focus of the administration be on implementing programs that will help those under poverty, instead of fortifying the “anti-terrorist” taskforce for them to be able to persecute critics?
Shouldn’t we be trying to catch up to our missed targets for tests conducted per day, and work on funding and building the necessary laboratories and health workers necessary for mass testing?
The Anti-Terrorism Bill is nothing but a charade for state fascism, showcasing how authority lacks any concern for general welfare. The government should stop devoting time and money to aggression and militarization, and instead, reallocate them to sectors that need them the most.
It is our right to call out incompetencies and disservices of the administration without life-threatening penalties. Oppose the terrorist’s bill!
#JunkTerrorBill
