Regulating social media goes against intention of new anti-terror law —Biazon

Armed Forces chief Lieutenant General Gilbert Gapay's proposal to include in the implementing rules and regulations of the anti-terrorism law provisions to regulate social media goes against the legislation's intent, Muntinlupa City Representative Ruffy Biazon said Tuesday.

In a statement, Biazon, one of the initial proponents of the law, said there is no provision in the said act allowing for the authority to regulate social media "precisely because it is not the intention of the legislators to cross the line of protecting freedom of expression and right to privacy."

"To insert it into the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) would be a contradiction to the intention of the framers of the law who had already purposely left it out, as well as a circumvention of the rule that the IRR should not go beyond what is provided by the letter of the law," he added.

At a virtual press briefing, Gapay, who formally assumed his post on Monday, claimed that social media is being used by terrorists to radicalize the youth and plan their lawless acts.

"We will be providing some inputs on countering violent extremism and likewise maybe even regulating social media. This is the platform now being used by the terrorists to radicalize and even plan terrorist acts," he said.

"That's why we need to have specific provisions in the IRR pertaining to regulating the use of social media and, of course, likewise regulating materials in the manufacture of IEDs," Gapay added.

But Biazon said Section 16 of the new anti-terrorism law already allows authorities to go after terrorists who use social media for their propaganda through surveillance of suspects and interception and recording of communications.

He said that upon order of the Court of Appeals, law enforcement or investigators can have access to data and information that they can use in case building which could lead to the filing of charges against suspected terrorists.

"There is no need for a power to regulate social media, which would mean that all users of social media, a majority of which are not terrorist suspects, would be vulnerable to breaches of privacy or restraint on freedom of expression," Biazon said.

Biazon withdrew his authorship of the anti-terrorism law when it was still being deliberated at the House of Representatives.

He said that while anti-terrorism has been his advocacy ever since he became a lawmaker, and even as he "whole-heartedly" defended the bill, he believes that "the individual rights of Filipinos," as well as their "civil rights and political rights" should be prioritized.

Biazon also lamented that the measure approved by the House is a "mere adoption" of the Senate's version, and that his fellow congressmen were not allowed to make inputs in the bill.

Since the law's passage, over a dozen petitions — among them by former and incumbent government officials, human rights groups, lawyers, artists — have been filed before the Supreme Court challenging its legality. —KBK, GMA News