Critics’ concerns over anti-terror law not due to ‘disinformation’ —Hontiveros

Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday denied that the critics of the Anti-Terrorism Act have fallen for "disinformation" against the controversial law.

"Wala pong disinformation na nangyayari pati ngayon sa lumalawak na pagtutol ng iba't ibang sektor, iba't ibang institusyon dito sa ipinasa pa ring anti-terrorism law," Hontiveros, one of the only two senators who voted against the law, said in a virtual pre-SONA forum.

"Definitely walang disinformation doon sa sunod-sunod at dumadaming paghain ng kaso sa Korte Suprema tungkol sa batas na ito," she added.

Her remarks counter the claim of anti-terror law proponents such as Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Senate committee on national defense chairperson Panfilo Lacson that "false information" is being dished out against the measure.

Earlier in the day, Sotto said those claiming that the anti-terror law runs against freedom of expression and assembly have not read its provisions.

"It means that they have not read the law. They have not specifically centered on Section 4 of the law because if you do, you will see that that is the catch-all safeguard for all these types of freedoms that they are mentioning," Sotto said.

Hontiveros, on the other hand, expressed confidence that as more people read and analyze the anti-terror law, the more the forces opposing it would multiply.

"Lalo pang lalawak at lalakas 'yung pagtutol ng mamamayan dito, based not on disinformation, but based on knowledge, based on understanding at batay sa pagkakaisa na kailangan natin depensahan ang ating demokrasya," she said.

Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo also denied allegations that it was "communist propaganda" that fuels the opposition to the disputed measure, which sought to repeal the "dead-letter" Human Security Act of 2007.

"'Yan po ang narrative nila na 'disinformation, propaganda, na hindi niyo lang alam.' Pero ang sa akin naman, sa dami-dami, wide range of people from all over na against, this is not just propaganda, there's something wrong with it," he said during the same forum.

Local progressive groups, opposition solons, the Philippines' biggest business organizations, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, the Bangsamoro parliament, retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, the United Nations’ human rights chief Michelle Bachelet, and several US lawmakers were among those who also opposed the anti-terror law, which has been signed by President Rodrigo Duterte amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hontiveros said she agrees that the matter on declaring if the anti-terror law is constitutional or not is now left to the Supreme Court, where several petitions have been filed by critics. — BM, GMA News