The Philippines’ foreign ministry has told the US Congress that political freedoms and human rights will be respected as concerns linger over an anti-terrorism law that took effect yesterday.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte early this month signed a stricter anti-terrorism bill, condemned by critics and rights groups as a weapon to target opponents and stifle free speech.
“The Philippines remains committed to the protection of civil and political liberties as well as human rights,” its embassy in Washington said in a letter to 50 US representatives dated July 16 and made available to the media yesterday.
“The Anti-Terrorism Act itself strongly mandates that human rights be absolute and protected at all times,” it added.
Duterte has defended the law, saying law-abiding citizens should not fear as it targets terrorists including communist insurgents. The legislation creates a council appointed by the president, which can designate individuals and groups as terrorists and detain them without charge for up to 24 days.
It also allows for surveillance and wiretaps, and punishments that include life imprisonment without parole. Lawyers have questioned the law before the Supreme Court, saying the legislation could be abused to target administration opponents and suppress peaceful dissent.
“What the law signifies is the Philippine government’s strong resolve to combat terrorism and to implement a more effective and comprehensive approach to such a serious threat that knows no borders,” the embassy said, adding that the previous anti-terror bill, signed in 2007, resulted in the conviction of only one person.
Earlier, the Republic Act (RA) 11479, or the “Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020,” took effect yesterday, and not today as previously announced, the Department of Justice (DoJ) said, further alarming critics who are concerned that authorities might abuse it and curb dissent, Manila Times reported.
“We rectify our earlier statement that the law will take effect after the 15th day, or on July 19. Our apologies,” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said in a Viber message to reporters.
According to him, the effectivity clause of RA 11479 says it shall take effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette of the Philippines or in at least two newspapers of general circulation.
“Considering that the law was published on July 3, it will take effect on July 18, which is the 15th day. This is in accordance with the ruling of the Supreme Court in People vs Nicolas (GR 135877), among others,” the Justice chief explained.
President Rodrigo Duterte signed the law on July 3 despite repeated pleas against it and strong criticism from various groups because of its allegedly repressive provisions that violate the Constitution.
At least nine petitions have been filed before the Supreme Court to strike down those vague provisions. The latest of these was that of labour group Federation of Free Workers, along with leaders of the Nagkaisa labour coalition, Kilusang Mayo Uno and officials of other labour groups.
They urged the high court to issue a temporary restraining order against Sections 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11 and 12; paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of Section 25; and Section 29 of the law. “While petitioners recognise the efforts of those who sincerely keep our people safe, they strongly oppose” the law “in its present form, which runs contrary and repugnant to the Constitution,” their petition said.
Catholic bishops and religious leaders have also expressed opposition, and urged Filipinos to be vigilant against possible abuses in the enforcement of these provisions.
“We have to safeguard the basic human rights of our people because any form of violation would be contrary to God’s law of loving our neighbours,” Bishop Crispin Varques of Borongan said, while the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines said in a statement that it trusts “that the good women and men of the highest court of the land will be guided by the common good of all and by the Philippine Constitution.”
Also, Senator Panfilo Lacson, the law’s principal sponsor, lambasted the 45 American lawmakers who criticised the country over RA 11470, saying they should stop doing so “unless they admit to being a bunch of hypocrites.”
These legislators were led by Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky, who called on the Duterte administration to repeal the law, which they claimed “risks further undermining human rights in the Philippines.” 
They made that call in a letter to Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Romualdez.
“I wonder how many among those 50 or so members of the US Congress voted in favour of their own country’s Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001,” said Lacson, chairman of the Senate national defence and security committee.
In a statement, the former Philippine National Police chief said that, unlike the American version, RA 11479 has no provision for a Guantanamo Bay-like detention facility where indefinite detention without trial of suspected terrorists, along with torture and breach of human rights, suicides and suicide attempts have been reported by Amnesty International — all in violation of the Due Process Clause of the US Constitution.”
“And unlike their Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001, our law does not allow one-party consent in the conduct of electronic or technical surveillance,” he added.
“While our Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 is replete with safeguards to ensure that human rights of suspected terrorists are observed and protected, what the US Congress passed as their version of an Anti-Terrorism law is much stronger, even cruel to some extent because their policy makers and citizenry give the highest premium to the security of their country and the protection of US citizens stationed anywhere in the world.”
“That said, these US Congress members should shut up unless they admit to being a bunch of hypocrites.”