Charles Teves
The final “engrossed” version of House Bill No. 6875 now only has 56 names as coauthors, 15 coauthors less than it was after the final hearing last Wednesday.
5 other members of the House of Representatives decided to retract their vote amid the nationwide protests against the measure.
The palace has said earlier that the president must first review the measure before signing it, which he will have the chance to do so this week.
Critics of the bill say that it could possibly give authorities more power to suppress free speech, harass the opposition, arrest activists, detain them without a warrant for longer periods, and brand anyone as a terrorist.
Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon, the principal author was one of the many who removed their names as authors. Deputy speakers Loren Legarda of Antique, Aurelio Gonzales Jr. of Pampanga, and Evelina Escudero of Sorsogon removed their names as well.
Legarda, along with the other lawmakers said that their names were “mistakenly” referred to as coauthors in the committee report endorsed to the plenary for second and third reading approval last week.
The other lawmakers who requested to have their names removed were Biñan City Rep. Marlyn Alonte, Ilocos Norte Rep. Ria Fariñas, Agusan del Norte Rep. Lawrence Fortun, Manila Rep. Cristal Bagatsing, Magsasaka Rep. Argel Cabatbat, Magdalo Rep. Manuel Cabochan III, Quezon City Rep. Anthony Peter Crisologo, Laguna Rep. Ruth Mariano-Hernandez, Iloilo City Rep. Julienne Baronda, Iloilo Rep. Michael Gorriceta, and Samar Rep. Sharee Ann Tan.
On Wednesday, the division of the House had a 173-31 vote with 29 abstentions but was later changed to 168-36 on Thursday to reflect a number of corrections or retractions from the members.
Laguna Rep. Sol Aragones and Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo on Sunday said that they were mistaken as coauthors of the measure when they actually abstained.
“I share the view that we need to fight terrorism, but there are provisions I do not agree to and which I think needs further study, which is why I voted to abstain from the start, contrary to the list circulating that I voted yes,” Aragones said.
Romulo said he told the secretariat that his vote “was not properly reflected.” “They checked. Then they said it will be corrected.”
Bulacan Rep. Lorna Silverio retracted her vote in a June 4 letter to Secretary-General Jose Luis Montales and said she’d rather abstain “because I personally want to study further the pros and cons of the amendments introduced to the Human Security Act.”
Albay Rep. Joey Salceda initially voted affirmative but changed it on Friday citing a number of “reservations” about the bill such as the vague definition of ‘terrorism’ and the need to amend sections that were inconsistent with human rights laws.
Baronda and Gorriceta also voted affirmative but requested to change their votes. Deputy Speaker Vilma Santos-Recto voted yes “with reservations,” was listed as a co-author in both the committee report and final version of the bill. However, her son Luis Manzano went to social media to share a text from his mother telling him that she was not “principal author.”
The House has yet to produce the official tally of how its members voted on the bill.
Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman asked Montales for a “certification on how representatives voted on the controversial measure last June 3” in an effort to get the tally.
Lagman said there: “appears to be some confusion on the tabulation of votes as evidenced by changes and corrections made in the result of the voting by the attending staff of the Secretariat,” in a letter emailed on Sunday.
He said the certified true copy of the voting must be “based on the individual voting in the plenary and by Zoom as recorded in our All Members Viber Community.”
“A public disclosure of the voting record would also afford representatives to clarify how they actually voted or that they did not vote at all,” he added.
Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate, another critic of the measure, tried to influence his colleagues earlier to stop supporting the bill.
A group based in Masbate that caters to the needs of different sectors appealed to the representatives of the province to change their votes to no but Rep. Elisa Kho voted for the bill. Narciso Bravo Jr. and Wilton Kho did not have their names on the list which means they might have been absent or refused to vote.
“As our representatives, you have an obligation to hear our pleas: Our call to junk the antiterrorism bill is to preserve and protect our political, civil, and human rights,” the group said in a statement.
Christian Lloyd Marcaida, the spokesperson for the group said that the government was using “diversionary tactics” to avoid more important matters.
“We are in a pandemic, but why is an oppressive bill given the priority?” Marcaida said.
The bill amends and repeals the Human Security Act, and imposes tougher penalties, including life imprisonment, on anyone who will participate in, conspire with or incite others in the planning or facilitation of a terrorist attack.
40 Moro lawyers said the bill’s provisions are “unacceptable encroachments on our civil liberties.”
“We condemn terrorism, [but] as lawyers, students of the law, and human rights advocates, we likewise know all too well that overzealous desire to capture the enemy, when sanctioned by law that is bereft of any procedural and substantive safeguards to protect the innocent, is just as dangerous to our lives, liberties and freedoms,” the group said in the statement.
“We shudder to think how our congregational prayers, khutbahs, and halaqas might be seen as inciting to terrorism by oblivious persons in authority,” the group said. “We are scared for our youth who may be unsuspectingly going about their business in school or work, only to find out eventually (or never) that their every step is being monitored by state agents — who now have the legal cover to do so — when their only ‘crime’ is being Muslim.
“We worry for our communities displaced by conflict who will face more difficulty in accessing aid, as humanitarian organizations may be prevented from extending assistance lest they be suspected of providing material aid to terrorists,” the group said.
Local and national celebrities have expressed their desire to have the bill junked.
Taylor Swift posted a petition seeking to junk the bill on her Instagram as part of her initiative to have more people pay attention to various donations and other petitions, such as the Black Lives Matter protests.
Please do not take away our voices our basic human rights!!!!
— Liza Soberano (@lizasoberano) June 2, 2020
Atty. Patch Magtanong on the Anti-Terror Bill 1/2#ActivismIsNotTerrorism #OustYouKnowWho #JunkTerrorBillNowٓ pic.twitter.com/V792nSRqwq
— Pau of the Moon #JUNKTERRORBILLNOW (@pautergeist) June 5, 2020
https://twitter.com/enchongdee777/status/1267668813027274752?s=20
#JunkTerrorBillNOW #JunkTerrorBillNOW #JunkTerrorBillNOW
Only cowards are afraid of dissent. https://t.co/pHPoUDVFYU
— Agot Isidro (@agot_isidro) June 2, 2020
Drag Queens also shared their support in junking the bill.
Pia Wurtzbach and Catriona Gray also want the bill junked.
— Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach (@PiaWurtzbach) June 3, 2020
— Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach (@PiaWurtzbach) June 3, 2020
I'll be honest, I never really liked commenting about politics simply cos I felt like I didnt know enough. I wasnt confident enough to speak up… I also was never really a fan of tweeting (Im barely online here) but I realized that I need my voice back…and I need to use it.
— Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach (@PiaWurtzbach) June 3, 2020
Sa lahat ng nangyayari ngayon sa Pilipinas at sa mundo.. overwhelming. Diba? Parang di mo alam kung maiiyak ka o magagalit. Parang pakiramdam mo minsan powerless ka. Parang sasabog yung puso mo. Yung feeling na parang may gusto kang sabihin. May kailangan kang sabihin.
— Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach (@PiaWurtzbach) June 3, 2020
#JunkTerrorBill pic.twitter.com/qVHAnuXRiJ
— Catriona Gray (@catrionaelisa) June 3, 2020
There is so much happening in the world and in our nation right now, and I know alot of us want to just tune out because it all gets a bit overwhelming. But please, dont allow that to be the reason we revert into silence and turn a blind eye.
— Catriona Gray (@catrionaelisa) June 3, 2020
We need to stay engaged because this is where our voices count. So let's help each other by creating spaces that help us keep each other informed and help us understand what's going on.
— Catriona Gray (@catrionaelisa) June 3, 2020
I've taken the time to research and digest information and come to my own conclusions and I implore you all to do the same.
I'm not here to influence you to think a certain way, but I hope I can influence you to think for yourself.
— Catriona Gray (@catrionaelisa) June 3, 2020
https://twitter.com/catrionaelisa/status/1268175356676075521?s=20
About the Anti-Terror Bill. Read the full Senate Bill here: https://t.co/OZjsW402oV pic.twitter.com/nsCmkdzMH3
— Catriona Gray (@catrionaelisa) June 3, 2020
Critics argue that the bill amends and repeals the Human Security Act and imposes more serious penalties such as life imprisonment to anyone who participates in acts of terrorism.
The measure states that the definition of terrorism are acts that that “intimidate the general public or a segment thereof, create an atmosphere or spread a message of fear, to provoke or influence by intimidation the government or any of its international organization, or seriously destabilize or destroy the fundamental political, economic, or social structures of the country, or create a public emergency or seriously undermine public safety.”
In addition, terrorism is described as any activity committed by any person who within or outside the Philippines, regardless of the stage of execution;
- Engages in acts intended to cause death or serious bodily injury to any person, or endangers a person’s life;
- Engages in acts intended to cause extensive damage or destruction to a government or public facility, public place or private property:
- Engages in acts intended to cause extensive interference with, damage or destruction to critical infrastructure;
- Develops, manufactures, possesses, acquires, transports, supplies or uses weapons, explosives or of biological, nuclear, radiological or chemical weapons; and
- Release of dangerous substances, or causing fire, floods or explosions.
Anyone who threatens to commit terrorism or join a terrorist organization may be imprisoned up to 12 years.
