SC sets hearings on anti-terrorism law in September

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court will hear in open court next month the various petitions seeking to nullify the newly enacted Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 for alleged violation of the Constitution.

The justices agreed on Tuesday during their full court session by videoconference, to hold oral arguments on the third week of September “at the earliest,” the Supreme Court announced.

The high court did not issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) to stop the implementation of the new anti-terrorism law in the meantime, but ordered the government to comment on the rest of petitions within 10 days upon notice.

“The proper notices will be issued once the date is finalized,” Supreme Court public information chief Brian Hosaka said.

Since President Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11479 on July 3, so far 27 petitions have been filed before the Supreme Court challenging the legality of the new anti-terrorism law.

The petitioners—that included framers of the Constitution, legal experts, lawmakers, lawyers, journalists and human rights activists—said the new law should be nullified because it was vague and can be used to tag government critics as terrorists.

They also argued that the provisions of the law violated several fundamental rights under the Constitution, such as freedom of speech and right to due process.