The Mindanao Examiner Regional Newspaper
Philippines guarantees human rights under new anti-terror law
MANILA GUARANTEES human rights of law-abiding citizens are fully respected and doused fears the new anti-terrorism law will trample on the constitutional rights of Filipinos following the signing of the Republic Act No. 11479, or the Anti-terrorism Act of 2020. The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict also said the law was crafted to
comply with the constitutional freedoms of the people while increasing the means to strengthen national security by legally fighting terrorists whose main agenda is to overthrow the government by any means possible. “Only persons involved in the act of terrorism are threatened. It will be more difficult for them to continue their relentless and cruel recruitment of young citizens to be used as pawns in their terrorist actions,” it said, adding, the national government is doing its best to protect the nation and its people. President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11479 on July 3. “As we have said, the President, together with his Legal Team, took time to study this piece of legislation weighing the concerns of different stakeholders. Terrorism, as we often said, strikes anytime and anywhere. It is a crime against the people and humanity; thus, the fight against terrorism requires a comprehensive approach to contain terrorist threat.”
“The signing of the aforesaid law demonstrates our serious commitment to stamp out terrorism, which has long plagued the country and has caused unimaginable grief and horror to many of our people. Together, let us defeat terrorism and make our communities safe and secure under the rule of law,” said Duterte’s spokesman Harry Roque. Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said with the new anti-terrorism law, a more discerning mechanism is in place to prevent and deter the threats and dangers posed by terrorists to the Filipino people. “The new legislation addresses flaws in the Human Security Act of 2007, which served as a dead letter law and was severely underutilized, and helps advance our country’s national security interests,” he said.
“As the Philippines is heavily afflicted by terrorism, as reflected in its ranking in the Global Terrorism Index of 2019, the Duterte administration stands with a firm position of undertaking stricter measures against terrorists, including foreign ones, while maintaining the respect for human rights as we have ensured safeguards against abuse,” he added.