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Sotto: Anti-terror law can be repealed if abuses take place
By DONA MAGSINO,GMA News Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Monday said the government can repeal the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 if abuses actually occur as he urged the people to first give the measure a chance to be implemented.
In an interview on CNN Philippines, Sotto acknowledged that it is disinformation and mistrust against the government that fuel opposition to the anti-terror law which was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte earlier this month.
"Those who are protesting against the law do not trust the government. It's as simple as that. We must not mistrust our government," Sotto said.
"Hintayin mo muna kung nakita mong may ginawang masama. Madali lang... Eh 'di i-repeal. It's only a law. It's not in the Constitution. 'Pag nakita nating inabuso and we mistrust the government in implementing or executing this, then repeal the law," he added.
The Senate President, one of the proponents of the controversial law that repealed the Human Security Act of 2007, said the Philippines had to catch up with the rest of the world in giving teeth to its anti-terrorism measures.
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He pointed out that the Philippines is lined up among other countries "coddling" terrorists such as Iran, Iraq, Congo, Syria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan due to its weak anti-terror law in previous years.
Sotto maintained that the provisions in the newly-signed anti-terror law, which took effect on Saturday, are constitutional despite the several petitions filed before the Supreme Court claiming otherwise.
On Sunday, a group of 44 petitioners represented by the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers also challenged the legality of the anti-terror law before the high court.
"I am very confident that the Supreme Court will not strike it [anti-terror law] down," Sotto said.—AOL, GMA News