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Sotto on critics filing several petitions vs. anti-terror law: 'Be my guest'
By DONA MAGSINO,GMA NewsSenate President Vicente Sotto III on Monday said critics can file as many petitions as they want against the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 but added that the justices in the Supreme Court would not be overwhelmed by doing so.
"I do not think SC justices can be [intimidated] by anyone or the number of petitions. It's about content! So you are filing? Be my guest!" Sotto, one of the proponents of the law, said in a Twitter post.
The controversial anti-terror law was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday
despite strong opposition from human rights advocates and militant groups who claim the measure may be abused to stifle dissent against the administration.Retired senior associate justice Antonio Carpio previously said that the anti-terror law may immediately be challenged before the Supreme Court once enacted.
A group of lawyers and former Education Secretary Br. Armin Luistro
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They physically filed the document on Monday morning.
A group of Far Eastern University law professors with their dean Mel Sta. Maria also expressed intention to file a Petition for Certiorari against the newly signed measure.
Opposition Senator Francis Pangilinan, one of the only two senators who voted against the bill during the Senate deliberations, said he is likewise preparing to lodge a separate petition before the high court.
Several groups are expected to challenge the constitutionality of the anti-terror law on Monday. —KG, GMA News