Esperon to critics: Don’t fan the flame on Jolo shooting with anti-terror bill issues

National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon on Thursday dismissed comments linking the fatal police shooting incident in Jolo to the controversial anti-terror bill.

"Napakalayo naman ng koneksyon... That should not be classified as one example of how our police personnel would be treating civilians," Esperon said in an interview on CNN-Philippines.

"This is not the kind of example that they would term as illegal arrests and undue harassment of the populace, no. Huwag natin ikonekta doon, huwag na natin gatungan 'yung nangyari doon, mayroon namang [investigation] report na lalabas diyan," he added.

Esperon made the remark after opposition Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan said the police killing of four military men in Jolo was alarming.

"Nakakabahala ang balitang ito. Ngayon pa lang na hindi pa batas ang anti-terror bill, may nangyayari nang ganito. Ano na lang ang laban ng ordinaryong tao?" Pangilinan said.

"This incident is disturbing because it appears that the police are quick in pulling the trigger without careful judgment. If they can do this to their fellow uniformed men, how much more to the ordinary civilians who are unarmed and defenseless?" he added.

'Written authority'

Esperon said that Pangilinan's concern was the reason why the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act mandates the Anti-Terrorism Council to issue a written authority to law enforcers who would conduct arrests of proscribed terrorists.

"We have to give written authority to organizations and personnel who would be acting as deputies or organizations that would go against terrorists," he said.

"We designate agents with written authorities to arrest because, you know, you cannot just allow anybody to be conducting arrests. This is a very technical job, so they must be trained for it. Hindi kung sinu-sino na lang ang nag-aaresto in connection with terrorism," he added.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, one of the authors and principal sponsor of the anti-terror bill, said the "written authority" has been misunderstood by the critics of the proposed law.

He underscored that the "written authority" to be issued by the ATC, as provided in the bill, is not an authority to order an arrest.

"In actual fact, the written authority issued by the ATC under Section 29 of the ATB is to be directed to its duly designated deputies such as law enforcement agents and military personnel specially tasked and trained to handle the custodial investigation involving violations of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 as proposed, considering the complexities and nature of terrorism," Lacson said.

"These specially trained law enforcement officers and military personnel shall need a written authority to be deputized by the ATC to perform such tasks," he added.

The anti-terror bill is still awaiting President Rodrigo Duterte's approval or veto after it has been transmitted to Malacanang on June 9. It may also lapse into law next week if left untouched. — RSJ, GMA News