Too early to say if anti-terror law rules will cover social media –DOJ

It is "too early to say" whether the anti-terrorism law's implementing rules and regulations will cover the use of social media, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Monday.

The newly-appointed chief of the Armed Forces said earlier that the IRR needs to have provisions on regulating the use of social media, claiming that terrorists use it to radicalize the youth and plan terrorist acts.

"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," Lieutenant General Gilbert Gapay said.

The anti-terrorism law mandates the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Anti-Terrorism Council, in consultation with law enforcement and the military, to promulgate the IRR within 90 days after the law takes effect  - which it did last month.

Guevarra said the DOJ's legal team started drafting the IRR and will consult with law enforcement and the military and coordinate with intelligence agencies as they go along.

"Then we'll present an initial draft to the Anti-Terrorism Council for consideration. I believe that we can finish the IRR within the 90-day period provided under the anti-terrorism law," he said in a message to reporters.

The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, which replaced the Human Security Act of 2007, was enacted amid criticism that it lacked safeguards and could be used by the government to stifle legitimate dissent.

Despite reassurances by officials that the law does not target activists, at least 21 groups have challenged the measure before the Supreme Court. — DVM, GMA News