Esperon to law-abiding citizens: Anti-Terrorism Law no cause for alarm

National Security Adviser Secretary Hermogenes Esperon Jr. on Saturday said law-abiding citizens should not worry about the Anti-Terrorism Act recently signed by President Rodrigo Duterte, adding that critics are not closely reading the provisions of the law.

"Sa pag-question nila sa Anti-Terrorism Law sa Supreme Court ay karapatan nila, hindi natin pipigilan 'yan, we'll even encourage them," Esperon said at the Laging Handa public briefing, as some members of the opposition in the Senate are set to question the constitutionality of the law before the Supreme Court.

"Ngunit kung nabasa lang sana nila, dahil meron akong palagay na hindi nila binabasa itong provisions ng Anti Terrorism Law," he said.

Esperon cited Section 4 of the Republic Act 11479, stating that terrorism “shall not include advocacy, protest, dissent, stoppage of work, industrial or mass action, and other similar exercises of civil and political rights.”

"Ano ang ikinakatakot nila? Itong ating law-abiding citizens ay wala dapat ikatakot dahil itong Anti-Terrorism Law ay para sa kapakanan at para sa seguridad... ito ay ginawa para labanan natin ang terorismo," Esperon said.

"Ngayon kung sino ang nagsasabing ito ay para sa kanila at tahimik naman sila, huwag silang mabahala," he added.

Esperon said he was a former activist himself.

"Ngunit kung ang pakay mo sa pagiging aktibista ay magsaad ng iyong mga hinaing, social injustices or request for better treatment or ideas, papayagan natin 'yan," he said.

"Sa totoo lang bibigyan pa natin sila ng kaukulang proteksyon para makapaghayag sila sa matahimik na pamamaraan ng kanilang mga hinaing. Hindi sila covered ng Anti-Terrorism Law na ito."

In regard to social media posts as basis on whether a person is considered a terrorist, Esperon said authorities will first verify the United Nations Security Council's list.

The anti-terror bill, now a law, had drawn opposition from activists, human rights workers, members of the academe, journalists, business groups, among others, as they feared authorities may use it to crackdown on government critics or tag any exercise of human rights as an act of terrorism.

And with the new law in place,  authorities can violate basic rights with impunity, the claim. —LBG, GMA News