Photo from Makabayan bloc Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — The Makabayan bloc hit the Anti-Terror Council (ATC) for branding 19 suspected leaders of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army as terrorists despite ongoing hearings on the constitutionality of the new anti-terror law.
In a press briefing on Thursday, Bayan Muna Rep. Ferdinand Gaite lashed at the council for trying to act as the “judge, jury, and executioner” against suspected terrorists, and in “jumping the gun” on the Supreme Court, which has yet to rule on the petitions questioning the legality of the Anti-Terrorism Law (ATL) is still being questioned in the Supreme Court.
“They’re jumping the gun. Sabi nga ng ibang nakakausap naming mga lawyers, contemptuous ito dahil dapat nire-respeto nila yung prosesong nagaganap ngayon sa Korte Suprema na ito na nga yung gist na pinag-uusapan—na napakadaling i-designate without any iota of proof,” Gaite said.
(According to the lawyers we were able to speak with, this is contemptuous because they should respect the process happening in the Supreme Court where this is the gist of the discussion—that it is so easy to designate without any iota of proof.)
“Sabi nga ng paulit-ulit, ‘judge, jury, and executioner’—yan ang ATL pati ‘yung ATC,” he added.
(We have said it repeatedly, ‘judge, jury, and executioner’—that is the ATL as well as the ATC.)
Meanwhile, Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas said that the designation as terrorists seems to be based on who is criticizing the government.
“Mukhang trip trip lang nila kung sino ang maisipang ilagay sa listahan based sa kung sino ang may kritisismo sa pamamalakad ng administrasyon,” Brosas said in a statement.
(It seems like they are just putting people on the list based on who is criticizing the administration.)
“This seems more like a list of naughty or nice. While extremely ridiculous, it is deadly and dangerous not just to individuals and well meaning critics but also to whatever democratic space we have left,” she added.
Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate also hit the ATC for failing to present evidence against those it designated as terrorists.
“Nakita natin ang laman ng kanilang nilabas na resolution ni walang enumeration of specific acts kung bakit itong mga individuals na ito ay di-nesignate nila as terrorists,” Zarate said in the press briefing.
(We saw the content of the resolution and there was no enumeration of the specific acts as to why these individuals were designated as terrorists.)
“They want to jump the gun on the Supreme Court by designating these persons as terrorists despite the fact na kwestyonable ang batas na pinagbabasehan nila sa malahuntang kapangyarihang ginagawa nila ngayon,” he added.
(They want to jump the gun on the Supreme Court by designating these persons as terrorists despite the fact that the law they are basing it on is questionable.)
Kabataan Partylist Rep. Sarah Jane Elago, for her part, said the ATL will “only open the floodgates to more human rights violations and abuses of power.”