House approves amending Human Security Act of 2007
The House of Representatives Wednesday approved on third and final reading a measure amending the Human Security Act of 2007 or the anti-terrorism bill.
The controversial measure, which was approved without amendment, was put to a vote just a day after President Rodrigo Duterte certified the bill as urgent amid the criticisms raised by different groups and organizations.
Congressmen voted 173-31 with 29 abstentions.
Under the bill, which is identical to the Senate’s version, a suspect can be detained without a warrant for 14 days which can be extended by 10 more days. The suspect can be placed under surveillance for 60 days, extendable by up to 30 more days.
The bill authorizes wiretapping of suspected terrorists for a maximum period of 90 days as an amendment to the Anti-Wiretapping Law (R.A. No. 4200) and detention without judicial warrant of arrest for a maximum period 24 days of suspected terrorists instead of the present three-day maximum;
It empowers the Anti-Money Laundering Council to pry into the bank accounts of suspected terrorist groups and persons without a specific court order by freezing such accounts for 20 days, subject to six months’ extension by the Court of Appeals, as an exception to the “Law of Secrecy of Bank Deposits” (R.A. No. 1405).
The bill defines terrorism if a person commits any of the following: engaging in acts intended to cause death or serious bodily injury to any person or 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; and 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 intimidation 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.
Threats to commit terrorism and proposals to carry out the act will be punishable by imprisonment of 12 years while conspiring, planning, training, preparing, and facilitating to commit the act will be punishable by life imprisonment. DMS
