VP Robredo: Anti-terror bill could lead to spate of wrongful arrests

The passage of the anti-terror bill, which allows detention of suspected terrorists for 10 to 24 days without a warrant, could lead to spate of wrongful arrests, Vice President Leni Robredo said Wednesday.

Robredo issued the statement two days after President Rodrigo Duterte certified the anti-terror bill as urgent amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Terorismo ba talaga ang tuon ng Anti-Terror Bill? O gusto lang nitong bigyan ng kapangyarihan ang estado para bansagang terorista kung sino man ang kanilang gusto?” Robredo said.

Robredo, a lawyer, argued that the bill only has one paragraph discussing a program to counter violent extremism.

“Sa kabilang banda, maraming probisyon ang nakatutok sa pagpapalawak ng kung sino ang puwedeng bansagang terorista, at sa pagbabawas ng mga checks and balances laban sa mga wrongful arrest,” Robredo pointed out.

“Nagdudulot ito ng pangamba na maaaring gamitin ang batas upang siilin ang karapatan nating magpahayag ng malayang saloobin, especially in the wrong hands; in the hands of people who have no qualms about using disinformation, inventing evidence, or finding the smallest of pretexts to silence its critics. Napakamapanganib ng kapangyarihang ito,” Robredo added.

The Anti-Terror bill penalizes any person who incites others to commit terrorism by means of speeches, proclamations, writings, emblems, banners or other representations with a jail time of 12 years.

Likewise, the measure allows surveillance on suspected terrorists and  removed the existing provision of the Human Security Law imposing P500,000 a day penalty on authorities for detention of any person acquitted of terrorism charges.

Robredo then called on the government to focus its efforts on giving aid to the people who lost income due to lockdown, as well as improving the country’s COVID-19 testing capacity per day which stands at 8,000 to 9,000 per day or way below the target 30,000 per day by end of May or two months since the spike of COVID-19 cases started.

“Hunyo na, pero yung commitment na 30,000 tests kada araw, wala pa sa kalahati ang naaabot. Hinihintay pa rin natin ang malinaw na sistema para sa contact tracing, pagkain, pagkakataong maitindig muli ang pinagkukunan ng kanilang kabuhayan. May mga gumigising ng hatinggabi para maglakad nang magdamag makarating lang nang tamang oras sa trabaho,” Robredo said.

“Wala ni isa sa mga nabanggit kong pangangailangan ang matutugunan ng batas na ito,” Robredo added. — BM, GMA News