House approves anti-terrorism bill on third reading

The House of Representatives on Wednesday, June 3, approved on third and final reading its version of an anti-terrorism measure that aims to amend what some government officials have said was an outdated Human Security Act of 2007. The House version has no disagreeing provisions with those in the Senate version, which was approved in February. A bicameral conference, lawmakers have said, was therefore no longer needed./House of Representatives/

(Eagle News)–The Philippines may soon have a new anti-terrorism law after the House of Representatives approved its anti-terrorism bill on third and final reading on Wednesday night.

With 173 affirmative votes, 31 negative votes and 29 abstentions, the House gave the go-signal to House Bill 6875, which seeks to give more teeth to the law and repeal what some government officials have said was an outdated Human Security Act of 2007.

Since the bill in the House has no  provisions that are not consonant with those in the Senate version approved on third and final reading in February, no bicameral conference is required to reconcile measures, Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta Representative Jericho Nograles, a co-author of the bill, said.

“When approved on 3rd reading, it will be an enrolled bill for the action of the President (Rodrigo Duterte),” he explained.

The approved measure by the House defines terrorism as the following:

  • Engaging in acts intended to cause death or serious bodily injury to any person or that endangers a person’s life
  • Engaging in acts intended to cause extensive damage or destruction to a government or public facility, public place, or private property
  • Engaging in acts intended to cause extensive interference with, damage, or destruction to critical infrastructure
  • Developing, manufacturing, possessing, acquiring, transporting, supplying or using weapons
  • Releasing dangerous substances or causing fire, floods, or explosions when the purpose of such act, by its nature and context, is to intimidate the general public, create an atmosphere to spread a message of fear, provoke or influence by intimidating the government or any international organization, or seriously destabilize or destroy the fundamental political, economic, or social structures in the country, or create a public emergency or seriously undermine public safety

Under the measure, any person who will threaten to commit terrorism, or who will propose to or incite others to commit terrorism will be imprisoned for 12 years.

Those who voluntarily and knowingly join any terrorist group or association or serve as  an accessory in the commission of terrorism also face the same jail term.

Those  proven guilty of engaging in a conspiracy to commit terrorism shall be penalized by life imprisonment without the benefit of parole, under the measure.

The measure also removes a provision in the existing terrorism law that stipulates the payment of P500,000 damages per day of detention of any person acquitted of terrorism charges.

A suspected person can also be detained without a warrant of arrest for 14 calendar days,  which is extendible by 10 days.

A new provision designates certain Regional Trial Courts as Anti-Terror Courts to ensure the speedy disposition of cases.

The measure also ensures that foreign terrorists do not use the country as a transit point or a safe haven to plan and train new recruits for terrorist attacks in other countries.

Earlier, President Duterte certified the bill as urgent “in order to adequately and effectively contain the menace of terrorist acts for the preservation of national security and the promotion of general welfare.”