Business and Education stand on Anti-terror bill

Aside from the pandemic crisis, another issue has been much debated by the public. Several organizations have released manifestos expressing their opposition to the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act. Although the bill has reached its final stages, I thought that on the eve of Independence Day, this issue which touches on issues of liberty and freedom, is still worth sharing.

The business sector is one of the sectors that has expressed their opposition. Here is their manifesto.

“We the undersigned are united in voicing our opposition in the strongest possible terms to the enactment at this time of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (House Bill 6875) recently approved by the House of Representatives on third and final reading, and a similar bill approved by the Senate (Senate Bill 1083) last February.

“In these trying times of the COVID-19 pandemic, what we need is national unity. We are all suffering and fighting for survival: businesses are closing down, people are losing their jobs, those who still have jobs find it impossible to find safe transportation to work, our children are going hungry and the continuity of their education is under threat.  We need to come together, united around a set of relief and recovery measures that will help us come out of this pandemic a stronger and more resilient nation.

“We fully appreciate the need for peace and security in building a stronger nation. Current threats to national security are well addressed by existing policies and as such do not require urgent new legislation. And the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 is highly divisive ­– because it poses clear and present danger to human rights enshrined in our Constitution – at a time when our nation needs to come together as one.

 “We strongly urge our national leaders and the private sector to be focused fully at this time on  what really matters; developing policies that will address multiple socio-economic shocks resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, strengthening our health systems, improving the investment climate to create more jobs especially given many thousands of returning OFWs. These are what our country needs to pull us out of our crisis and get back on our feet.”

Makati Business Club, Bishops-Businessmen’s Conference for Human Development, Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), Investment House Association of the Philippines (IHAP), Judicial Reform Initiative (JRI), Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), Philippine Business for Education (PBEd), and the Subdivision and Housing Developers Association Inc. (SHDA).

The Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX) has a separate resolution expressing their opposition.

Joint La Salle-Ateneo Statement

The La Salle Brothers and Jesuit priests issued a joint statement expressing their opposition to the Anti-Terrorism Act. The statement was signed by all the heads of universities that are part of the La Salle and Jesuit educational system in the Philippines.

 “We, the undersigned, strongly register our opposition to the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (House Bill No. 6875) recently approved by the House of Representatives on third and final reading and the earlier similar bill approved by the Senate (Senate Bill 1083) last February.

“While we acknowledge the need to fight terrorism, we find the passage of the bill ill-timed. As our people continue to struggle in coping with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, our attention, efforts, and resources should focus on fighting the virus and in helping our people. Many have died and continue to suffer from the pandemic. Our health systems and personnel are stretched to their limits. Many have lost jobs and are hungry. At this time, our priorities should be shoring up our health system, providing support to our health workers, ensuring food for our communities, stimulating the economy and providing jobs for our people. To be sure, it is our lawmakers’ sworn duty as public servants that these very real and terrifying threats to our health and economy receive more of their dedication and attention than hastily passing a bill that could, with its haphazard construction, wrongly impair sacred constitutional rights.

“Instead, the Anti-Terror Bill adds to people’s anxieties and fears. Many of the provisions under this bill are couched in language that is sweeping and equivocal as to be easily subject to misinterpretation and abuse. Worrisome are the expanded and vague definitions of a “terrorist”; the powers given to the Anti-Terror Council to designate a group as a “terrorist group”; the weakening of the protection of one’s privacy and the safeguards against arrests and detention without warrants. Instead of being a measure to protect our people, in the wrong hands, this bill can be used to oppress our people.

“We therefore appeal to the President to listen to the pleas of our people who are already burdened by the pandemic, and to veto this particular version of the bill. We can then all work together to craft a better version that can uproot terrorism while addressing the people’s concerns about their basic rights. By so doing, we will not be divided in countering terrorism.

“Finally, we call upon our people to remain vigilant, to keep abreast of what’s happening, and to safeguard our rights that are enshrined in the Constitution.

Our people are under siege on several fronts. May God grant us wisdom and courage in this time of need.”

Br. Armin Luistro FSC, Provincial Superior, Lasallian East Asia District;

Fr. Primitivo Viray Jr. SJ, Provincial Superior, Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus

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Email: [email protected]