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Anti-Terror Bill in the Philippines

There have been countless issues that most activist groups face all over the world. In some parts of the world, activism is limited which conveys the message that voices are lowered and avoided by the people in power. These actions portray the sense of ignorance as more citizens have used their voices to call out the rights that were limited every single day. Sometimes, concerns turn to manipulation that most of society recognizes due to the limitation that is given by the government. In this case, the Philippines have experienced human rights violations that influenced the drastic measures of the country.



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About the Anti-Terror Bill

The Anti-Terrorism Act or also known as the “Anti-Terror Bill” is a policy declared by the Filipino government to replace the Human Security Act of 2007 that generalizes the originality to proclaim human rights in the Philippines. The act contains sections of laws that involve certain actions that need to be recognized that could affect the lives of fellow citizens. It was proposed in 2019 Around July 2020, Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the bill and has declared it as one of the proposed laws demonstrated by the President’s administration.

According to Congress, the Anti-Terror Bill is a law that serves to ‘protect life, liberty, and property’ from any form of action that correlates to terrorism in the country. The law condemns terrorism as a dangerous act towards the national security and the well-being of Filipinos in the country. Additionally, the crime surpasses each individuality where it will be considered a crime if any action is displayed in the country.


Major Issues

Although the purpose of the bill has portrayed security for certain Filipinos, the bill didn’t entirely secure the welfare of the citizens. The law itself did not only define the exact word of what “terrorism” meant in terms of endangering a person’s life or destroying public property. The law has included that the act of terrorism is in subject with advocacy such as freedom of expression and speech which most activists in the country highly disagree on within this case. Hence, this would mean that protests, banners, or any representations of anything (even if it takes to save the world) are banned and known to be terrorism.

The law, however, won’t punish the strikes that relate to any rights groups and does not intend to create risks towards public safety. Anti-terrorism law has implemented series of acts that create a closed boundary for peace which limits opportunities to build order in the country. It tends to be one of the major setbacks for Filipinos to grow since a form of criticism towards the government would be labeled as “terrorism”. For instance, when climate activists groups have come forward to call out the government’s actions, some would be taken to jail for their criticism.

The law includes punishments that could cause a lifetime in prison where surveillance would also surround the country that invades privacy for certain people. Thus, as this bill is signed, it grants the power towards the government to control situations beyond their authority which could lead to a violation of human rights in accordance with the UN. Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Regional Director, Nicholas Bequelin stated that the United Nations should investigate the systematic violations that are occurring within the country due to the countless laws proposed that are unable to give Filipinos the right to voice their concerns over any situation. Due to the expansion of the term, there has been a major backlash that was generated coming from activists, citizens, and other NGOs of the country.


Effects on Activist Groups

The bill has sufficiently impacted major groups of the country, especially certain activist groups. Issues spawn in the Philippines from different situations such as climate change and human rights groups that are threatened to speak out because of the law that was implemented. Some human rights attorneys have mentioned that it has violated the constitutional provision of a person. According to National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, he has stated that the country is ‘one of the most limited’ to have a detention period in correspondence towards terrorism suspects.

Because of the threatening situation that most activist groups experience, the rise of protests has doubled since July 2020. Around most social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, there was an ongoing virtual protest to call out Congress and the administration for approving the law under the hashtag “Junk Terror Law”. Most opponents have mentioned that the legislation has violated the constitution which makes it difficult for rights groups to speak up about their thoughts. The law restricts activists to protest or the right to free speech which could send them to prison. Therefore, numerous activists have felt threatened that the Anti-Terror Bill could change the way they could advocate for their prospective groups and how this could change the way most Filipinos would feel.


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How Can You Help

Although countries have a similar situation in which the Anti-Terrorism Act has proclaimed different laws, the idea has been the same within the Philippines. It has been 1 year since the bill has been passed and tons of groups/organizations have not stopped to display their voices. This act has severely affected numerous groups to which limits the rights of citizens, especially the right to speak. Thus, here are some ways that we could help Filipino activists and people to protest their concerns in public:

Educate your friends, family, or anyone you know about this issue. This could potentially make them understand that freedom of speech has been limited and it’s time to your their knowledge against this statement.

  • Spread awareness: Even though it has been a year, countless people have depended solely on the awareness that makes most countries recognize the human rights violation that the Philippines is going through. Recognizing the threats that fellow Filipinos would have to go through

  • Support activist groups or organizations such as Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines, Wayfarers, etc. There are a lot of organizations that advocate for certain issues and support is highly needed as of now.

  • Lastly, signing petitions could benefit the needs: https://act.350.org/sign/junk-terror-bill/ , https://www.change.org/p/junk-the-anti-terrorism-bill-and-uphold-human-rights

These sources could benefit and make others understand the circumstances that are ongoing in the Philippines since the Anti-Terror Bill has drastically changed the lives of people.


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