Senator Panfilo Lacson on Saturday expressed confidence that the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 will not be invalidated by the Supreme Court (SC).
Some of the petitioners have pledged to appeal the top court’s judgment, which only found two parts of the controversial legislation unconstitutional.
They said the law’s “draconian” features, such as the Anti-Terrorism Council’s authority to detain terror suspects for up to 24 days without a judicial warrant of arrest, check bank accounts, and freeze assets, remain in place.
When asked if he is optimistic that the law will remain generally constitutional following the appeals process, Lacson said yes at a news conference in Dumaguete City.
Lacson, principal author of the anti-terror law, also emphasized that the measure will not be used against the political opposition.
“Nasa batas ‘yun eh, hindi naman tina-target ang opposition eh. Hindi ko alam kung saan nanggagaling ‘yung tatargetin sila,” he said.
(It’s in the law. The opposition is not being targeted by the law. I don’t know where they came up with the claim that they will be targeted.)
“Whether members of the opposition, whether they’re symphatizers of the CPP-NPA, whether you are member of the media, whether members of Congress, if you commit acts of terrorism, you will be answerable under the law,” Lacson added.
On the issue of the West Philippine Sea, Lacson reiterated that Manila should strengthen its ties with other countries with strong militaries.
“We cannot do it alone. We are very weak militarily,” he said. “You need to balance the power of China [in order] not to provoke a Third World War.” — VBL, GMA News
Lacson confident anti-terror law will remain largely constitutional
Source: Pinoy Hub News
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