Malacañang on Friday confirmed that President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law Republic Act No. 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, six days before it would have lapsed into law on July 9.
“As we have said, the President, together with his Legal Team, took time to study this piece of legislation weighing the concerns of different stakeholders,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque stated.
“Terrorism, as we often said, strikes anytime and anywhere. It is a crime against the people and humanity. Thus, the fight against terrorism requires a comprehensive approach to contain terrorist threat. The signing of the aforesaid law demonstrates our serious commitment to stamp out terrorism, which has long plagued the country and has caused unimaginable grief and horror to many of our people,” he added.
Meanwhile, opponents of the measure feared it would lead to human rights abuses. Among those that wants the President to veto it is the Bangsamoro Transition Authority.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque reiterated that the fears expressed by the BTA and other sectors are unfounded. There are sufficient safeguards against abuses in the new law.
“Passing a class legislation against the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), I would like to stress, would not even cross the minds of the proponents of the said bill. This piece of legislation is against terrorists and not against a particular regional/ethnic group,” Roque pointed out.
“The President understands this better as he is from Mindanao. Having said this, he will take into account the appeal of the Bangsamoro leaders when the proposed bill reaches his desk,” he concluded.
– PTV News, with reports from Mela Lesmoras
