Palace to US lawmakers: Philippines no longer an American colony

Malacañang on Thursday hit back at US lawmakers who urged the Philippines to repeal the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, saying the country is no longer an American colony.

In a televised briefing, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the 45 US lawmakers who made the call seemed to have forgotten that the Philippines is an independent state.

“Matagal na pong independyente ang bansang Pilipinas sa Amerika,” Roque said when asked to comment on the matter.

Roque then recalled the atrocities done to Filipinos during the American occupation, including the killing of innocent civilians in Eastern Samar in 1901. The Philippines officially ceased to be a colony of the US in 1946.

The Palace official added the Philippines has a working judicial system, which will decide on the several petitions seeking to invalidate the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.

“To the congressmen who signed it, we have a working judicial system and we can rely on our judicial system to rule on the constitutionality of the anti-terror law,” Roque said.

“Pero huwag na po kayong manghimasok, hindi na po namin kayo colonial masters.  Independyenteng bansa na po kami.”

As of Thursday, July 16, nine petitions have been filed with the Supreme Court challenging the law, which President Rodrigo Duterte signed on July 3.

The US lawmakers have criticized the new law for allegedly being overbroad as they feared that this could be used to stifle dissent — the same criticism hurled by those opposed to the law, among them student groups, human rights advocates and members of the academe.

The lawmakers sent a letter to the Philippine Embassy in the US to raise their concerns about the legislation, which will take effect on July 18.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III, for his part, urged the "misinformed" US lawmakers to look at their own law, particularly their Homeland Security Act which he said is harsher.

“Offhand, I would say they are misinformed. Why don’t they look at their own laws? Iyong Homeland Security Act nila? Bago sila mamintas, napakahigpit nung sa kanila,” Sotto said.

Seemingly echoing Malacanang, Sotto told the US lawmakers to mind their own business as he stressed that the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 has enough safeguards against possible abuses by authorities.

“They are only saying those things on what they read on social media. Itong sa atin, lunod nga sa safeguards. Mas magagaling pa ang senador ng Pilipinas kesa sa Senador nila. Bakit ba sila nakikialam? pakialaman nila iyong bansa nila,” Sotto said.

Critics have said that the law empowers the government to go after legitimate dissent. They have also warned against the up-to 24-day warrantless detention period for suspected terrorists, and the alleged authority of the Anti-Terrorism Council, a body created under the law, to authorize in writing the arrest of terrorism suspects. —KBK, GMA News