Police can’t enforce anti-terrorism law without rules – PNP

Philippine National Police chief Archie Gamboa on Monday maintained that the police force still cannot enforce the antiterrorism act in the absence of implementing rules and regulations (IRR).

“Many are saying there are provisions of the antiterror law that are already executory and do not require the IRR but nevertheless we still have to study this and [find out] what these [provisions] are so that this will be part of the [police] training,” the PNP chief said at an online briefing on Monday.

“We are on the stage of preparing, waiting for the IRR and then creating units for the specific task of implementing the antiterror law,” he said, adding that a specialized unit, the composition of which has not yet been specified, would be enforcing its provisions.

In a statement he read at the press briefing, Gamboa welcomed the effectivity of Republic Act No. 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 as it would give the “police force a stronger fighting chance of protecting itself and our people against the threats of terrorism.”

Senate President Vicente Sotto III, for his part, said the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 could be repealed if it is abused, but in the meantime, people should not mistrust the government and give the law a chance to be implemented.

Sotto noted that those who are protesting the law do not trust the government.

“But we should not, we must not mistrust our government,” Sotto said in an interview over CNN Philippines.

People should first try to see how the law would work, he said.

He said this was the same advise he gave when people were complaining about the law that created the Bangasamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and which gave funding to the new government of former Moro rebels.

“Therefore, what I am saying as far as the antiterrorism law is concerned, if we see that it is abused and we mistrust the government in implementing and executing this, repeal the law,” he said.

But as of now, he said, the Philippines is trying to catch up with other countries in the move to rein in terrorist groups. INQ