New anti-terror bill up for Senate floor debates

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Panfilo Lacson has endorsed for plenary approval a new anti-terror bill, which he said would result in the immediate lifting of the martial law in Mindanao.

As chairman of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, Lacson sponsored on Wednesday Senate Bill No. 2203 or the “Anti-Terrorism Act of 2019.”

The measure was contained in a joint committee report signed by 20 of 23 senators.

“At the outset, let me state here and now with certainty that a vote for the immediate passage of this measure is a vote for the immediate lifting of Martial Law in Mindanao,” Lacson said in his sponsorship speech of the bill.

The measure, he said, would address the “evident infirmities” of the existing law, the Human Security Act of 2007.

If enacted into law, a person suspected of committing terrorist acts may be detained for 14 days even without a case.

Lacson said under the present law, a person arrested for violation of the provisions of the Human Security Law could be detained for three days without charge, with no liability on the part of the arresting officer under Article 125 of the Revised Penal Code.

“In the proposed measure, we are proposing a 14-working day period of detention without extension,” he said.

“The proposal to extend the period of detention was reached after a lengthy review of our neighboring countries’ policies and laws for countering terrorism,” the senator said.

He noted that in Indonesia, suspected terrorists may be detained for 21 days up to 200 days; in Malaysia, it is 60 days up to two years. And in Singapore, suspects may be detained for an indefinite period.

The proposed measure also removed the mandatory payment of P500,000 per day of incarceration for an unproven charge of terrorism.

“By removing this, we hope that our law enforcement authorities will now have the courage to fully execute the provisions of the law without fear of being slapped with this exorbitant fine,” Lacson said.

“It does not mean, however, that by deleting this provision, those unlawfully charged with violation of this law will not have any recourse in case he/she will be acquitted. In the event of an acquittal, the person illegally charged can always sue for damages under existing laws,” he pointed out.

Lacson said his committee also decided to do away with the predicate crimes enumerated in the existing law.

Instead, the bill simply defines a terrorist act as any of the following unlawful acts, regardless of its stage of execution:

a) Attacks that cause death or serious bodily injury to any person;
b) Attacks that cause extensive damage or destruction to a government or public facility, critical infrastructure, public place or private property likely to endanger human life or result in major economic loss;
b) Manufacture, possession, acquisition, transport, supply or use of weapons, explosives or biological or chemical weapons as well as research into and development of, biological and chemical weapons; and
c) Release of dangerous substances, or causing fires, floods or explosions the effect of which is to endanger human life.

/ee