And sadly, meanwhile, in other parts of the world, injustice continues to thrive off the slippery rhetoric of peace maintenance… aka preying on the fears of the voting majority… https://t.co/eyIaboWZ7q https://t.co/kwGrp8EJbD
— Darren Criss (@DarrenCriss) June 3, 2020
Filipinos who are rallying against the proposed Anti-Terror Bill in the Philippines are also getting support from outside the country, as international figures like Filipino-American actor Darren Criss, Filipino-American beauty guru Bretman Rock, Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” queens are also joining the online plea to scrap the measure.
On Twitter, Darren quote retweeted infographics about the Anti-Terror Bill. In it, it was explained what the measure is all about, what is “wrong” with it, why is it “crucial,” actions that can make an individual considered to be a “terrorist,” penalties under the bill, and what a person can do to help junk the Anti-Terror Bill.
Reacting to it, Darren wrote, “And sadly, meanwhile, in other parts of the world, injustice continues to thrive off the slippery rhetoric of peace maintenance… aka preying on the fears of the voting majority,” attaching the link of the Junk Terror Bill carrd page where people can sign a petition against the measure and participate in donation drives.
“‘Anti-Terrorism’ may sound promising but that title does not include the idea that it maximizes criminality for ANYONE who shows any kind of civil opposition- without a warrant, not to mention enforces totalitarian surveillance to uphold said insanity. I’d be in jail by now,” he continued.
Bretman, also spoke up about the controversial bill via his Instagram stories, after many of his Filipino fans asked him to spread awareness about it. His stories were screen-recorded by some netizens and shared it on Twitter.
In the video clip, Bretman admitted that he is still studying the bill and “would love to speak more about it” soon. He also encouraged others to educate themselves about the bill even though they are not from the Philippines.
Although she did not exactly issue any statement regarding the bill, Taylor, meanwhile, posted on her Instagram story a swipe-up link to a page where people can help with different issues happening in the world, including the Anti-Terror Bill.
“When you’re done: educate yourself. This doesn’t go away once the topic isn’t ‘trending,'” her story read.
Aside from these celebrities, American drag queen Aquaria, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 10 winner, also took to Twitter to encourage her more than 270,000 followers to sign the petition against the measure.
“JUNK THE ANTI-TERRORISM BILL AND UPHOLD HUMAN RIGHTS!” she said.
In another tweet, she shared the Junk Terror Bill carrd page, along with the hashtags #JunkTerrorBill and #JUNKTERRORBILLNOW. It was quote retweeted by Manila Luzon, a Filipino-American drag queen who was the series’ Season 3 runner-up.
“Protect Freedom in the Philippines,” Manila wrote.
Another Filipino-American drag queen Ongina, meanwhile, thanked her fellow Filipinos for educating her about the bill, as well as Aquaria for backing the plea of many Filipinos.
“I am only now learning about the #JunkTerrorBill and I stand w[ith] my kababayans (fellow countrymen) that #ActivismIsNotTerrorism,” she said.
Some Filipino celebrities, including Kathryn Bernardo, Nadine Lustre, Angel Locsin, 2015 Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach, and 2018 Miss Universe Catriona Gray, among others, have used their social media platforms with millions of followers to join the snowballing call to junk the measure.
The Anti-Terror Bill now only needs the signature of President Rodrigo Duterte for it to become a law, after the House of Representatives passed it on third and final reading on Wednesday, June 3.
Many Filipinos and various groups are against the measure as they fear it could threaten human rights and could be used against critics of the government. The Palace, however, said the President will still review the measure to make sure it won’t violate the Constitution.