Connect with us

News

ATA won’t infringe on right to protest: DOJ, Lacson

Published

on

Department of Justice

“Protests, along with those engaged in advocacy, protest, dissent, stoppage of work, industrial or mass action, creative, artistic and cultural expression, other similar exercises of civil and political rights are not included (as punishable acts),” Justice Undersecretary Adrian Sugay said in a radio interview. (File Photo By Ramon FVelasquez – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0)

MANILA – Government officials on Thursday reiterated that the country’s new anti-terrorism law would not curtail the people’s right to stage protest actions.

“Protests, along with those engaged in advocacy, protest, dissent, stoppage of work, industrial or mass action, creative, artistic and cultural expression, other similar exercises of civil and political rights are not included (as punishable acts),” Justice Undersecretary Adrian Sugay said in a radio interview.

This came as the justice department completed this week the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.

“As long as it is within our constitution and our constitutional rights, we have no problems with it,” he added.

Sugary also clarified that the IRR outlines and ensures that the more controversial portions of the laws such as those on surveillance and arrests will be consistent with Supreme Court decisions on the matter.

Meanwhile, Senator Panfilo Lacson, one of the primary proponents of the law, said its IRR squarely addresses civil rights concerns raised by “doubters”.

In a statement, Lacson said the release of the IRR for the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 should enlighten not just security forces but also the law’s critics and doubters.

Lacson, who sponsored the measure in the Senate, noted the 48-page IRR places great emphasis on adherence to the Bill of Rights in the 1987 Constitution.

“As the principal sponsor of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 in the Senate, I hope that the release of the law’s IRR will now enlighten our law enforcement officers as well as Armed Forces of the Philippines personnel, so they will be properly guided in performing their all-important mission of protecting our citizens from the indiscriminate and merciless acts of terrorism that can only be perpetrated by people with the ugliest and most senseless ideologies,” said Lacson, a former chief of the Philippine National Police.

The Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) this week approved the IRR of the law which took effect last July.

Lacson said he hopes the IRR would also enlighten the “doubting Thomases” on the legislative intent of the measure.

“Going through the 48-page IRR, I join all peace-loving Filipinos in commending those responsible in the crafting of the IRR for unequivocally emphasizing the law’s adherence to the Bill of Rights enshrined in our Constitution.

I hope the doubting Thomases will likewise be enlightened as to the legislative intent of this landmark legislation,” he said.

Earlier, Lacson vowed to be vigilant in making sure the law — meant to give authorities the needed legal backbone to fight the threat of terrorism — is implemented properly, meaning it is to go after terrorists and not anyone else.

“As the one who painstakingly sponsored the measure in the Senate, I will not allow anyone to pervert the legislative intent of the law, thus my commitment to go the extra mile in guarding against possible abuse in its implementation,” he said. 

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Maria in Vancouver

Lifestyle1 day ago

How To Do Christmas & Hanukkah This Year

Christmas 2024 is literally just around the corner! Here in Vancouver, we just finished celebrating Taylor Swift’s last leg of...

Lifestyle4 weeks ago

Nobody Wants This…IRL (In Real Life)

Just like everyone else who’s binged on Netflix series, “Nobody Wants This” — a romcom about a newly single rabbi...

Lifestyle1 month ago

Family Estrangement: Why It’s Okay

Family estrangement is the absence of a previously long-standing relationship between family members via emotional or physical distancing to the...

Lifestyle3 months ago

Becoming Your Best Version

By Matter Laurel-Zalko As a woman, I’m constantly evolving. I’m constantly changing towards my better version each year. Actually, I’m...

Lifestyle3 months ago

The True Power of Manifestation

I truly believe in the power of our imagination and that what we believe in our lives is an actual...

Maria in Vancouver4 months ago

DECORATE YOUR HOME 101

By Matte Laurel-Zalko Our home interiors are an insight into our brains and our hearts. It is our own collaboration...

Maria in Vancouver4 months ago

Guide to Planning a Wedding in 2 Months

By Matte Laurel-Zalko Are you recently engaged and find yourself in a bit of a pickle because you and your...

Maria in Vancouver5 months ago

Staying Cool and Stylish this Summer

By Matte Laurel-Zalko I couldn’t agree more when the great late Ella Fitzgerald sang “Summertime and the livin’ is easy.”...

Maria in Vancouver5 months ago

Ageing Gratefully and Joyfully

My 56th trip around the sun is just around the corner! Whew. Wow. Admittedly, I used to be afraid of...

Maria in Vancouver6 months ago

My Love Affair With Pearls

On March 18, 2023, my article, The Power of Pearls was published. In that article, I wrote about the history...