Police abuses bolster fears over anti-terror bill
FEARS raised against the antiterror bill, approved by the House of Representatives last week, amplify public distrust in law enforcement agencies in view of blatant abuses that high officials have even tried to justify.
Human rights defenders, student activists and lawyers have raised alarm over House Bill 6875, or the “Anti- Terrorism Bill,” that repeals the Human Security Act of 2007 and that gives more surveillance powers to law enforcers as it allows warrantless detention and wiretapping of suspected terrorists.
The Commission on Human Rights has said the controversial provisions of the bill could curb expressions of dissent and other freedoms.
What bolsters suspicions against the new anti- terror bill was the apparent haste by which it was approved at the House by simply adopting the version passed by the Senate in February. In short, no amendments were entertained to rush its passage before Congress adjourned its second regular session.
It enjoyed priority over the more urgent bill on economic recovery from the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
As former Health secretary and now Rep. Janette Garin of Iloilo lamented: “People are losing jobs. Uncertainty lies in the air. People are hungry, clamoring for direction. Certainly, the timing is very bad.”
The bill’s approval also came as the United Nations ( UN) High Commissioner on Human Rights released a comprehensive report that says the Duterte administration’s “heavy- handed focus on countering national security threats and illegal drugs” has led to serious human rights violations in the country, including killings and arbitrary detentions, as well as vilification of dissent.
The report, which will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council on June 15, noted widespread and systematic killing of thousands of alleged drug suspects, including numerous human rights defenders killed in the last five years.
Those opposing the new Anti- Terrorism Bill warn of draconian and arbitrary provisions that could be abused to target President Rodrigo Duterte’s detractors, as previous experiences have shown.
The report was based on official data and documents collected from government and nongovernment sources, including 893 written reports, legislation, policy guidelines, court documents, police reports, videos and photos, and open-source reports, as well as interviews with victims and witnesses.
While the report acknowledged “important human rights gains” in recent years, particularly in economic and social rights, it lamented that President Duterte’s “harmful rhetoric” and “incendiary language” combined with his administration’s “heavy- handed focus” on eliminating illegal drugs and threats from insurgents has led to serious human rights violations.
Duterte has drawn international criticism for his war on drugs and his human rights record. The hasty approval of the bill that expands the definition of terrorism and bolsters police powers of surveillance, arrest and detention raises more fears of abuse, particularly targeting dissenters.
Browsing through social media networking sites, several mention violations of simple quarantine guidelines by law enforcers, such as during the birthday party for National Capital Region Police Office chief Debold Sinas on May 8, in which the 50 or so attendees disregarded rules on physical distancing, mandatory wearing of face mask in public, mass gathering, and the liquor ban.
If the fourth highest official of the Philippine National Police ( PNP) cannot be trusted to observe the laws and guidelines he should be strictly enforcing, how can he be expected to observe provisions of the anti- terror bill.
While Sinas and 18 other PNP officers have been charged over the incident, they continue to occupy their positions. The administrative cases — less grave misconduct and less grave neglect of duty — filed against them carry a maximum penalty of 60 days’ suspension.
The shooting of retired Army Cpl. Winston Ragos by MSgt. Daniel Florendo in Quezon City on April 22 was another case of abuse, which might have been ignored had not a video footage of the incident gone viral on social media and stirred public outrage which, in turn, prompted officials to act decisively.
Much has to be done to restore people’s trust in the police force. For decades, the PNP has been confronted with criticisms over issues of corruption, involvement in the illegal drugs trade and so on.
Perhaps PNP chief. Gen. Archie Gamboa should remind the 200,000- strong police organization about the challenge he gave them when he assumed his post last March. He said then: “Simulan muna natin ang pagbabago sa ating mga sarili. We cannot implement the rule of law if we ourselves violate the law.”