House OKs Anti-Terror Bill

The House of Representatives approved on third and final reading the controversial Anti-Terrorism Bill shortly after midnight Tuesday. The bill allows wiretapping, warrantless arrests and detention of up to three days of suspected terrorists even with the absence of charges. The House leadership adopted the motion of Rep. Edcel Lagman (Albay) to impose the penalty of life imprisonment on terrorists instead of death penalty. Lagman explained that the penalty of death would be useless once the move in the House and the Senate to abolish the death penalty law succeeds. The anti-terrorism measure passed despite strong resistance from the political opposition in the House. Voting 116-27 with no abstention, legislators ended plenary debates to pass House Bill 4839, which defines acts of terrorism and makes it easier for law enforcers to investigate and detain suspects. Speaker Jose de Venecia “has a gift now for [President Gloria Macapagal] Arroyo," said Parañaque Representative Roilo Golez, who was among the 27 lawmakers who voted against the passage of the proposed bill. Mrs. Arroyo celebrates her 59th birthday Wednesday. A bill must be passed by both houses of Congress before being signed into law by Mrs. Arroyo, a staunch supporter of the US-led fight against terrorism. But the opposition-dominated Senate has blocked the bill, charging that it could be used against opposition members asking Arroyo to step aside over allegations she cheated to win the May 2004 election. The proposed law defines terrorism as "premeditated, threatened, or actual use of violence, or force" or "other means of destruction" to create or sow "a state of danger, panic, fear or chaos to the general public, group of persons or segments thereof, or of coercing or intimidating the government to do or abstain from doing an act." It also allows detention of suspected terrorists for not more than three days, and proscription of suspected terrorist organizations. TERRORIST ACTS Offenses considered as terror acts under the proposed law are the following: • Threatening or causing death or serious bodily harm to a person or persons • Threatening or causing serious risk to health or safety of the public or any segment of the public • Threatening or causing substantial damage or wanting destruction or resorting to arson on critical infrastructure or property, public or private • Causing serious or unlawful interference with or serious unlawful disruption of an essential service, facility or system, whether public or private • Hijacking or threatening to hijack any kind of craft, electric or railroad train, etc. • Kidnapping or serious illegal detention of any civilian • Killing or violently attacking internationally protected person • Attacking or threatening to attack the cyberspace • Willfully destroying natural resources in land, water, and air • Unlawfully manufacturing, processing, selling, acquiring, processing, using, diverting, supplying or transporting chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear agents • And unlawfully manufacturing, selling, acquiring, supplying, disposing, using or processing explosives, bombs, grenades, projectiles, devices or other lethal weapons. Cebu Representative Antonio Cuenco, co-sponsor of the bill, said mere membership in a suspected terrorist organization would not automatically make a person a terrorist, “unless more than three members openly and publicly declare, admit or acknowledge any of the acts punishable by this act." Most of the legislators who voted against the bill expressed fears it could be abused by law enforcers, or be used by the administration for political persecution. The Philippines has been regarded as a terrorist breeding ground. Western nations have expressed concern over the presence of Jema’ah Islamiyah training camps in the country's south, fearing they could produce militants who could strike anywhere. – GMANews.TV/INQ7.NET