Despite widespread opposition and criticism from him by legislators and many societal groups, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte signed a new anti-terror law on Friday in his country with his chambers last month.
The law gives the executive branch wide powers to pursue individuals or groups accused of terrorism, and by signing it by the president, it will take effect 15 days after its publication.
Philippine press sources stated that the signing of the law came despite the presence of some cautious or conservative voices within his government on some of its articles. A day before the signing of the law, the government of Bengsamoro in the Muslim autonomous region of southern Mindanao had invited President Duterte to exercise the right of veto and prevent the passing of the law.
Discrimination and ill-treatment
The local government has expressed concern that the law may lead to further discrimination, abuse and human rights violations against the Muslims of Mindanao.
But that appeal did not deter the president from passing the law. A brief statement was issued yesterday, Saturday, by the transitional authority of Pangsamuru, expressing "its respect for President Duterte's decision," proposing that the government of Bensgamuro be represented in the "counter-terrorism council" established by the new law, and most of its members are ministers. The central government.
The Transitional Authority statement declared that it was ready to cooperate with the central government and explore various means to protect its people from terrorism. "As long as the law has been signed, we are confident that the president will ensure that the anxieties and fears of the Moro people do not occur," he said in a statement. .
A consolidated statement of the lawyer and legislators of Muslim regions in Mindanao had previously expressed his opposition to the law, although his supporters say it was passed to combat terrorism afflicting Muslim regions, expressing their concern that the law will "increase discrimination against Muslims" in areas of the south that have suffered for 4 decades from A conflict that has claimed more than 120,000 lives.
Eight deputies representing majority Muslim districts in Mindanao, in the south of the country, were among 31 deputies in the Philippine parliament who rejected the law during a vote on it early last month, compared to 29 who abstained from voting, and 173 deputies approved it, which made it pass and submit to the president later.
Arguments for supporters of the law,
but spokesman for the presidential palace, Harry Rocio denied that the law was targeting a specific group, region or ethnic group, stressing that it targeted terrorist groups.
Defense Minister Delphine Lorenzana also called on the Philippine community to give the law an opportunity to implement rather than adopt false and misinformation about it.
For his part, Philippine National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon said in statements to him on Saturday that the first steps of the Counter-Terrorism Council - which is established according to what was stated in the new law - will be "a return to the lists approved internationally by the United Nations for persons and groups classified as terrorists, and there will be steps To monitor persons accused or suspected of involvement in terrorist acts and then arrest them. "
The Counter-Terrorism Council will include the Secretary of the Government and the National Security Adviser, the Ministers of Defense, Foreign Affairs, the Interior and Local Government, Finance, Justice, Information and Technology, and the Executive Director of the Anti-Money Laundering Council, as part of the implementation of the law has to do with the financial transfers of groups or individuals associated with terrorist acts, and the Secretariat of the Council will be with National Intelligence Coordination Agency, according to Esperon.
The Philippines has been known to confront communist groups and others that have raised Islamic religious slogans in the south and center of the country for decades, such as the organization of the state and the Abu Sayyaf group and other names for separate groups in the regions.
Church opposition
The circle of opposition to the law has expanded to include priests, bishops and ecclesiastical leaders, considering the law as a possible means to pressure certain social groups, and a clear attempt to silence critics and end any rejection of the government and confiscate people's freedom of expression as expressed by the President of the Peace and Social Justice Commission at the Bishops Conference of the Bishop of the Philippines Jose Coleen Bagaforu.
Even businessmen - including the Philippine Administrative Association - considered the law unnecessary, calling for Duterte to focus on economic recovery efforts following the Corona pandemic, and the refusal expanded to include 16 Filipino business forums and bodies, consistent with the position of the Global Alliance for Human Rights in the Philippines.
International criticism
Before that, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, had invited President Duterte on June 30 not to sign the law and resume broad consultations on the enactment of the law, considering that it would have severe effects on human rights, humanitarian action and support for marginalized groups in society .
For its part, Human Rights Watch also criticized the law, calling it a "humanitarian catastrophe" by including a broad definition of terrorism, and subjecting suspects to detention for weeks before appearing before a judge, contrary to the previous law that was required to bring the suspect to justice within 3 days.
In turn, Amnesty International, in the words of its regional director for the Asia-Pacific region, said that "under the authority of Duterte, the least critical of terrorism may be described, as this administration has produced a new weapon to target everyone perceived as an enemy of the state, in a prevailing state of impunity". The punishment, and considered that the law includes a very vague definition of terrorism, and will make the situation worse for human rights defenders.
Predicted pleadings before the judiciary
The Calega Legal Consulting Foundation made the first pleading against the law, and lawyers and activists spoke about their efforts to challenge the law in the courts, and former Supreme Court judge Judge Antonio Carpio considered that the law violated the 1987 constitution.
The National Union of People's Lawyers of the Philippines also issued a statement signed by 760 lawyers and activists from the Philippines, the United States, Britain, Italy, Turkey, Portugal, Switzerland and Canada, stating that the law "establishes a threat and an assault on civil liberties."