IBP calls for timely resolution of issues on anti-terror law

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) has called for the timely resolution of the issues surrounding the anti-terrorism law following the approval of its implementing rules and regulations (IRR).

While welcoming efforts of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to address apprehension over the law through the IRR, IBP president Domingo Egon Cayosa said the implementing rules "cannot rise above the provisions of the law that it seeks to clarify."

"The IRR may therefore be hounded by the same questions surrounding RA 11479 itself," Cayosa said in a statement Monday.

The Anti-Terrorism Council, of which Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra is a member, approved the IRR last week, three months after the controversial measure took effect.

The DOJ said the IRR seeks to clarify the provisions of the law and to explain "what a citizen must do -- or must not do -- to comply with the law."

The IRR contains "very detailed provisions on terrorism and terrorism-related crimes, on surveillance, on designation of terrorist individuals and organizations, on proscription, on the examination of bank accounts, among others," the DOJ said.

There are at least 37 petitions questioning the anti-terror law before the Supreme Court. The IBP, which had raised concerns on the law even before it was enacted, filed a petition last month.

"The Anti-Terrorism Law covers not only terrorism which we all denounce, but also impinges on constitutionally guaranteed rights and settled principles of law and governance," Cayosa said, remarking that the new law is one of the most questioned legislations in recent history.

"The law affects all of us and even the next generation of Filipinos beyond the term of the current Congress and Administration. It is best that the contentious and controversial issues regarding the law be resolved in a timely manner," he added.

The SC said last August that it would hold oral arguments on the petitions but has not yet announced a schedule nor a resolution of Solicitor General Jose Calida's motion for cancellation on the ground of COVID-19 health risks and logistical issues.

"We hope and pray that the pending petitions before the Honorable Supreme Court will be resolved on the merits for the proper guidance of all," Cayosa said. — Nicole-Anne C. Lagrimas/RSJ, GMA News