Terror law IRR being drafted

We shall also coordinate with intelligence agencies for inputs. Then we’ll present an initial draft to the anti-terrorism council for consideration

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra yesterday said a legal team of Department of Justice (DoJ) has started drafting the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 2020.

“The DoJ legal team has started drafting the IRR. we shall consult our law enforcement and military institutions as we go along,” Guevarra said.

He added that, “We shall also coordinate with intelligence agencies for inputs. Then we’ll present an initial draft to the anti-terrorism council for consideration. I believe that we can finish the IRR within the 90-day period provided under the Anti-Terrorism Law.”

Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte signed the ATA Bill of 2020 into law and at the same time told citizens not to fear it.

The signing of the bill prompted rights groups to stage protests and lawyers to question the law before the Supreme Court.

The President said that for law-abiding citizens of the country,

“I am addressing you with all sincerity, do not be afraid if you are not a terrorist.”

The DoJ legal team has started drafting the IRR. we shall consult our law enforcement and military institutions as we go along.

He said that those not planning to bomb churches and public utilities to derail the nation have nothing to fear, adding that communists are among the terrorists.

The conflict between the government and the armed wing of the communist party has raged for half a century and killed more than 40,000 people.

In the southern Philippines, the country faces piracy, kidnappings and extremism by groups influenced by Islamic State, who occupied a southern city in 2017 and are now increasingly carrying out suicide bombings.

With the new, an anti-terrorism council was appointed by the president, which can tag individuals and groups as terrorists and detain them without charge for up to 24 days.

It also allows for 90 days of surveillance and wiretaps, and punishments that include life imprisonment without parole.

This was questioned by local and international human rights groups saying that while the Philippines does have clear security threats, the legislation could be abused to target administration opponents and suppress peaceful dissent.