Biazon withdraws authorship, votes no vs. anti-terror law amendments

Muntinlupa City Representative Ruffy Biazon on Wednesday withdrew his authorship of the proposed amendments to the country's anti-terrorism law and voted against their passage in the House.

Biazon made the remark as he explained his vote on House Bill 6875 after the chamber approved it on third and final reading.

Biazon was a main author of the measure, and even sponsored it during the plenary interpellations on Tuesday.

He said that while anti-terrorism had been his advocacy since he became a lawmaker, "the individual rights of Filipinos," as well as their "civil rights and political rights" should be prioritized.

Biazon also lamented that the measure approved by the House was a "mere adoption" of the Senate's version.

"Hindi natin masabi na ang ating mga kasamahan na kongresista ay nakapagbigay ng kanilang input para maibigay natin ang isang panukalang batas na masasabing nanggaling mismo sa House of Representatives," Biazon said.

"Dahil dito, nakita natin na may mga argumento na maaaring pagbigayan at kung sakali ay ma-adopt," he added.

Biazon said he still saw the need for an anti-terrorism law, and that he could not readily subscribe to the opinion of those against the measure.

"But as a matter of principle, I believe that the House should come up with an important piece of legislation that is truly the work of the House of Representatives, not just a mere adoption of the other chamber," Biazon said.

"My position, after all that has been said by the members of the House of Representatives, I believe that we should stand up for the House. And because of this, my vote is 'no' to the bill," he added.

Biazon also asked that his name be removed from the list of authors of the measure.

"My name could not be attached to a bill that is not my real work. So my withdrawal as author of the bill is another thing I would like to present to the House," he said.

House Bill 6875 was approved on third and final reading only a day after it got the second reading approval.

The chamber was able to fast-track its approval after President Rodrigo Duterte certified the measure as urgent "in order to adequately and effectively contain the menace of terrorist acts for the preservation of national security and the promotion of general welfare."

The House Committees on Public Order and Safety and on National Defense and Security on Friday adopted the Senate's version of the measure, which has been approved on third and final reading last February.

"Since there are no disagreeing provisions between the Senate and House versions, there will be no need for a bicameral conference committee deliberation and the measure becomes an enrolled bill "for action of the President," said PBA party-list Representative Jericho Nograles, another author of the measure.

Concerns have been raised that the measure might be used to target individuals that expressed dissent against the government.

The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers has surmised that its passage would worsen the climate of impunity “that has made the Philippines fertile ground for extra-judicial killings, illegal arrests, and crackdowns against activists and progressive organizations and even ordinary citizens.”

But Nograles assured that the proposed law was not against activists, saying that it only targeted terrorists and violent extremists.  -NB, GMA News