CABANATUAN CITY—Nueva Ecija Rep. Rosanna Vergara said she was one of 31 lawmakers who voted against the new Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, saying its current form “runs the risk of violating the fundamental right of every Filipino to a safe and comfortable life where due process and democratic freedom are fiercely upheld.”
“I agree with the declaration made by President Duterte, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Interior Secretary Eduardo Año that we need to protect the country from terrorism,” she said in a statement.
“[But] without further refinement and consideration, the provisions of the [measure] are at risk of unbridled interpretation that could do more harm than good to the very population we aim to protect,” Vergara said.
“I pray that the points of view of every member of the bicameral committee would change so they can amend critical provisions of the bill which are prone to abuse,” she said.
“This way we can preserve our democracy which we constantly fight to protect,” Vergara added.