Rain, arrest threats fail to dampen Independence Day ‘Mañanita’

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

Rain showers over Iloilo City and threats of arrest did not stop groups from various sectors in holding ‘Mañanita’ activities on Independence Day, June 12, 2020, at the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) City Campus.

The event started with a forum on the Anti-Terrorism Bill, which was attended by representatives from the youth, the academe, the religious, among others.

According to Senate President Vicente Sotto III, he and House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano had ratified the controversial bill last June 8.

The bill attracted criticism in the Philippines and worldwide due to both its “vague” provisions and timing of its passage as the country deals with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.

The forum featured speakers such as Atty. Angelo Karlo Guillen of the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL), Monsignor Meliton Oso of the Jaro Archdiocese Social Action Center (JASAC), and Atty. Jonnie Dabuco of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Region 6.

Both Attys. Dabuco and Guillen discussed the provisions of the bill, which are said to be in contrast with provisions of the 1987 Constitution, particularly Article III or the Bill of Rights.

REACTIONS

Msgr. Oso said that the bill contradicts the Constitution, particularly but its declared principles.

“The first part of the Declaration of Principles in this bill states that life, liberty and property will be respected, but the provisions of this bill are very contradictory to that. How do you reconcile this?” Oso said.

Mark Paul Inayan, a businessman and former logic professor of UPV, said that the bill is a logical fallacy.

“The bill contains what we call in logic a vicious circle fallacy. It’s like when someone asks me, why are you sitting? Because I’m not standing! The bill, when signed, can tag dissenters as terrorists simply because of their membership in several groups which the government determines as terrorists,” Inayan said.

UPV Prof. Tom Talledo of the All UP Academic Employees Union said that the bill may curtail the academic freedom of professors and instructors in tertiary-level institutions.

This was echoed by Talledo’s student, Prof. Elfleda Ecube, Dean of the West Visayas State University-College of Arts and Sciences (WVSU-CAS), saying that the bill can easily tag students and their advisers as terrorists simply by being members of activist groups.

“I’ve been the adviser of many organizations at WVSU, and I’ve been subjected to surveillance myself without those people doing it knowing that I’m the adviser! They’ve said they’ve been monitoring the students in front of my face during these meetings, and they don’t even know that I’m the one encouraging them as well! What more if this bill will be passed?” Ecube said.

RALLY

The latter half of the event was a rally inside the UPV Iloilo City campus, which was preceded by a short march from the UPV Little Theater to the Oblation grounds.

The rally was also attended by various sectors, with youth groups leading chants to junk the Anti-Terrorism Act, as well as to provide better services in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several sectoral representatives spoke out against the bill during the rally.

Lucy Francisco from the GABRIELA Women’s Party said that the bill will allow state forces to further abuse against women.

“People think that the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdowns prevented violence against women, but it didn’t. There have been more reports of abuse by military forces onto women in rural areas. This Anti-Terror Bill will only further the abuse done by these forces,” Francisco said.

Vivian Asong of KADAMAY, an urban poor group, said that the bill targets everyone who voices out dissent.

“This bill does not target insurgents; it does not target terrorists. It targets all of us, just by saying how disappointed we are, and it will affect us in the urban poor sector the most because we like to say what’s on our minds,” Asong said.

Atty. Janne Baterna of the NUPL said lawyers will challenge the bill upon its passage into law.

“We will fight that bill up to the Supreme Court, even if it kills us,” Baterna said.