Who’s terrorizing whom?

By Herbert Vego

 

THIS corner finds it ironic that the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (Republic Act 11479) that President Rodrigo Duterte signed on Friday pinpoints Senate President Tito Sotto and Senator Panfilo Lacson as principal authors.

Could the original draft have come from Malacañang?

While the bill was still pending approval in Congress, Sotto had said on radio station DZBB, “Hindi na kailangan ang martial law kapag napasa namin itong anti-terror bill.”

Critics interpreted it to mean that the bill aimed to impose “undeclared martial law,”  hence could target “terrorists” who express dissent against the government.

Be that as it may, Sotto’s “authorship” of the controversial law exposes his turnaround. Let the millennials be informed that it was Sotto who composed the song Magka-isa, a Filipino pop song recorded in March 1986 by a non-professional singer, Virna Lisa Loberiza, to capture the spirit of the People Power Revolution that toppled the Marcos dictatorship.

The initial lyrics of that song say:

Ngayon ganap ang hirap sa mundo

Unawa ang kailangan ng tao

Ang pagmamahal sa kapwa’y ilaan

Isa lang ang ugat na ating pinagmulan

Tayong lahat ay magkakalahi

Sa unos at agos ay huwag padadala

 

Lacson as co-author, on the other hand, reminds us of who he was during the martial law era – a first lieutenant of the defunct Philippine Constabulary, specifically the special surveillance unit known as Metrocom Intelligence and Security Group (MISG).

You only have to “google” the name of the aforesaid MISG unit to read about the human rights violations and use of various torture methods against the critics of Marcos at that time.

It would, therefore, be naïve for one to value Lacson’s pledge to exert “extra effort” to protect the law’s implementation against any possible abuse.

President Duterte has made no secret of his admiration for the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whose waxed remains he allowed to be interred at the Libingan ng mga Bayani with full military honors on November 18, 2016.

Already a group of lawyers led by Howard “Howie” Calleja has filed a petition before the Supreme Court questioning the constitutionality of RA 11479.

Retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio cited Section 29, which  allows the arrest of persons who are merely “suspected” of committing terrorism, in violation of the Constitution’s requirement that a warrant of arrest be issued by a judge upon finding of probable cause.

The law empowers the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) — a nine-member body chaired by the executive secretary and composed of Cabinet officials and the executive director of the Anti-Money Laundering Council – to detain suspected terrorists for as long as 24 days without being charged with any crime before the courts, eight times longer than the three-day maximum period provided by the Constitution.

Amnesty International had asked the President to reject the legislation because it “contains dangerous provisions and risks further undermining human rights in the country.”

In a press statement, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Regional Director Nicholas Bequelin said, “Under Duterte’s presidency, even the mildest government critics can be labeled terrorists.”

It is surprising that Murad Ebrahim, whom the President had appointed interim chief minister of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, was among those dismayed by the passage of the Anti-Terrorism Act. His group, together with House Deputy Speaker Mujiv Hataman, had vigorously asked the President to veto the anti-terrorism bill.

“The law won’t curb terrorism; it will empower the government to tag opponents as terrorists,” Hataman said.

Indeed, Hataman remembered that when Marcos declared martial law, it failed to terrorize the “terrorists” of that time.

The incumbent President should be reminded of this famous quotation from the late Spanish philosopher George Santayana:

“Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

-oOo-

WHILE guesting on Tonette Toledo’s FB-live show “Talking Point”, MORE Power’s PR manager Jonathan Cabrera gave a convincing hint on who could have intentionally sabotaged the power lines that triggered an overnight brownout in Mandurriao, Iloilo City.

“Most people are unhappy during brownouts, but there are also those who are happy,” he said without naming names.

Obviously, among the unhappy ones are former Panay Electric Co, (PECO) linemen who could no longer profit from selling illegal connections or “jumpers” to power thieves for a modest monthly fee.

Angered by the loss of income they used to enjoy?

MORE Power has already discovered and disconnected 30,000 of these illegal connections. While the crime is punishable by law, the new power distributor has simply asked them to “legalize” in order to be reconnected; around 5,000 have responded.

While it is deplorable that (PECO) had tolerated the illegal connections during its time, it is not surprising because the loss was not the company’s. It was charged to legitimate customers as part of “systems loss”.