MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos should never let their guard down against terrorism, House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said on Saturday as he defended the passage of the controversial anti-terrorism bill.
“Every time we have a new law, new weapons, or effective approaches and strategies against terrorism, the enemy also evolves, becoming more fierce, determined, and innovative in their efforts to destroy and kill people,” Cayetano said in a Facebook post.
“What this means is that we can never let our guard down. Not against over-reach by government, nor the acts of terrorists. But contrary to what critics insist – these two objectives should not be mutually exclusive. With more trust and less politics, I am confident that we can have both,” he added.
In his post, Cayetano agreed with remarks of Leyte Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez that terrorists were “literally having more fun in the Philippines” due to lack of tougher measures against them.
Gomez said in a post on Thursday night that critics should read the bill and not “not rely on second-hand opinions of others, who may have been influenced by those who twisted the interpretation of actual sections of the bill to suit their accusations.”
Critics fear that the anti-terror bill could be abused and be used to crack down dissenters of the government. For instance, the Commission on Human Rights raised concerns on the vague definition of terrorism in the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 which could allow authorities to tag criticisms as inciting to terrorist acts.
/atm