Name: Jalen Rose T.

Saldua

Date: 1/11/21

Year/section: 12 HUMSS Law

Time: 6:00 PM

Topic: Writing the position paper

MANIFESTO OF UNITY AGAINST THE ANTI-TERRORISM BILL

OF 2020 IN THE PHILIPPINES

Science and Technology Education Center

Humanities and Social Sciences

Jalen Rose T. Saldua

The signing of the controversial Anti-Terrorism Bill on 3 July 2020 amid a pandemic in the

Philippines received the people's opposition and condemnation. This is a real issue with genuine

controversy, as people have different views on this new law, which seeks to prevent, prohibit

and penalize terrorism. Supporters of the bill said that the legislation would help to put an end to

the Philippine problem of terrorism, communism, and Islamic insurgency, but I firmly believe

that this law is a way for the government to suppress freedom of speech by people who speak

out and criticize the injustices and abuses of power by high-ranking leaders.

On the basis of the article, the author believed that the bill was nothing but a weapon to

silence criticism and discord towards the government, and that the proposed bill was a threat to

the fundamental constitutional rights of the Filipino people. It advocates against the passage of
the bill because it gives absolute power to the state and its restrictive apparatus, such as the

Philippine Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police, to violate the constitution and

human rights of the Philippines. It encompasses a vague definition of terrorism that allows the

malicious labeling of activists, critics and organizations as members of so-called terrorist groups.

The claims that the author expressed are; (1) no one is safe as it paves the way for the

unconditional arrest of members of civil society who have been identified as "terrorists," which

may paralyze broad activism movements and alternative practices engaged by communities and

civil society organizations that counter the aggressive, profit-driven vision of development of the

state. (2) Arming the government with punitive equipment and giving it broad powers does not

end and does not address the root causes of terrorism, poverty and corruption of power. (3) We

believe that the fight against terrorism must not be addressed through penal and

regressive measures. The kind of terrorist activity is built on an extensive approach to achieving

peace, social justice and equality with the genuine participation of its people. We do not need to

further arm the state's oppressive system, which has acted unpunished and has obscenely carried

out its duties with abuses.

The author proposes a course of action on what our society needs to end terrorism; real

opportunities for its people, education for its children, security for people across races, genders

and genders, an end to discrimination and violence, and genuine, open and transformative

conversations in our quest for development. To be free from terrorism, the entire nation of the

Philippines and the rest of the world must be free from poverty, marginalization and

vulnerability. We need and demand socio-political-economic transformation in line with the

aspirations and voices of the people, not another sword hilt to further castrate the Filipino
peoples.

Link of the article : https://cids.up.edu.ph/manifesto-of-unity-against-the-anti-terrorism-bill-of-

2020/