More petitioners urge Supreme Court to issue TRO vs. anti-terror law

More petitioners have urged the Supreme Court (SC) to put a stop to the implementation of the anti-terrorism law.

Over three months since the first petition was filed, the highest Philippine court has yet to act on the cases challenging the controversial measure nor schedule oral arguments. There are now 37 petitions.

In a motion filed Friday, lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc at the House of Representatives pressed the SC to issue a temporary restraining order to halt the implementation of Republic Act No. 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (ATA).

They said they have been "red-tagged," or labelled as communist rebels or fronts, by officials of the government's anti-communist insurgency task force.

The lawmakers said the murders of activists Randall Echanis, Jory Porquia, and Zara Alvarez show that "red-tagging kills."

"Being labelled as 'terrorist,' ''communist,' or a 'legal front' for the armed rebel movement -- regardless of lack of evidence -- makes one a target in a 'strategic communication' otherwise known as black propaganda, or is marked for surveillance, up to assassination," the Makabayan bloc said.

They said they should be able to fulfill their duties as elected representatives "without reprisal or punishment."

On Thursday, another group of petitioners also made a plea for the SC to act.

Opposition lawmakers including Senators Francis Pangilinan and Leila de Lima, journalists, and human rights advocates, represented by the Free Legal Assistance Group, said the anti-terror law's implementing rules and regulations (IRR) must also be stopped.

"In the guise of providing for mere enforcement guidelines, the IRR extends and amplifies the constitutional violations inherent in the ATA," they said in a motion,

"An unconstitutional law may not be enforced, and neither may it be cured by equally unconstitutional rules adopted by an overeager, overstepping executive," they added.

They told the SC that allowing the continued enforcement of the anti-terrorism law through the IRR would only lead to the "actual and pervasive curtailment by the state of the constitutional right to free speech and expression."

"Only the injunctive power of the Honorable Court stands between the people and the imminent terror heralded by the ATA and its IRR. Petitioners pray the Court to wield the power," they said.

Earlier this week, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) and other groups similarly urged the SC to issue a TRO. Having been "red-tagged" themselves, the activists said they are "vulnerable targets" of the government's anti-insurgency campaign.

Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta last week said the court could agree on a date for oral arguments in November.

He said the court is "trying to move fast" but has to deal with a large number of petitions. — Nicole-Anne C. Lagrimas/RSJ, GMA News