“The law serves as the trigger for a hand that has long been poised to shoot. Verily, the prosecution and escalated persecution of activists, dissenters, and even ordinary citizens who dare harbor opinions contrary to the government line are not questions of ‘if,’ but ‘when.’ It becomes a question now of how large a scale…
The new Anti-Terrorism Act, which takes effect tomorrow, July 19, is being challenged before the Supreme Court by eight petitions so far filed by different groups. It should open an interesting debate, involving not just the activists and the political commentators but more so the general public which has often suffered the disastrous consequences of…
“Given the vast and greater powers bestowed under the law, it will have a wide-ranging effects of violating existing constitutionally-guaranteed rights of our people, thus, the issuance of a ?shield against injustice, a temporary restraining order, against its enforcement, effective until the finality of the judgment, is fair and prudent under the circumstances.” By ANNE MARXZE…
They appealed to the member-States of the United Nations Human Rights Council to adopt and endorse High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet’s report, including recommendations for continuous monitoring and independent and impartial investigation of the human rights situation in the country. By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL Bulatlat.com MANILA – A day after President Rodrigo…
Despite gaining broad opposition, Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay said President Duterte still signed it into law as “his time is running short and opposition to his fascist rule is growing stronger by the day that he now desperately needs the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 to conduct his all-out crackdown on dissent.”
STATEMENT Just when we thought things could not get worse, Pesident Rodrigo Duterte signed today the “Anti-Terrorism Law of 2020,” a law that many legal pundits, human rights advocates, and no less than the United Nations Human Rights Council itself – gravely warned about. With the stroke of a pen, Duterte has unleashed a greater…
“With the fast-tracking of the bill, graver human rights violations among IPs and farmers are expected, especially for groups who are known for their valiant opposition of destructive projects like Chico River dams back in the ‘70s. For so long, Cordillera has been treated as a resource base for investments and we have been politically…
“Allowing this administration, the added leeway and greater authority that come with a newer, more oppressive anti-terrorism law would open the floodgates to graver forms of abuses. The dangers that come with the Anti-Terrorism Bill are all too real to be ignored, and we cannot and should not wait until the final nail in the coffin has been hammered down.”
Farmers, indigenous peoples and teachers have been tagged as terrorists and subjected to various forms of attack since Duterte assumed office. The Anti-Terror Bill, if enacted into law, would only escalate what they describe as “state terror” and would target ordinary citizens for merely exercising their constitutional rights.