National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. on Thursday, July 2, assured incidents similar to the police killing of four Army men in Jolo, Sulu will not take place once the Anti-Terrorism bill (ATB) becomes law.
“Yung mga ganoong incidents (those kinds of incidents) would not be the rule of the day,” Esperon, who had been Armed Forces chief of staff, said during an interview over CNN Philippines.
The security adviser responded to the comments made by Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan who expressed concern over the safety of ordinary citizens over the implementation of the ATB considering what has happened in Jolo.
“Nakakabahala ang balitang ito. Ngayon pa lang na hindi pa batas ang anti-terrorism bill, may nangyayari nang ganito. Ano na lang ang laban ng ordinaryong tao (This report is unsettling. This incident takes place at a time that the ATB has not been enacted into law),” the lawmaker stated.
Esperon said what happened in Jolo “should not be classified as one example of how our police personnel would be treating us civilians.”
“This is not the kind of example we would term as illegal arrest and undue harassment of the populace,” Esperon said about the Jolo shooting incident.
“No. Huwag nating ikonekta doon (Let’s not make that connection),” he stressed.
Citing provisions of the ATB, Esperon said law enforcement can only run after suspected terrorists only after the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) issued a written authority to do so.
Meanwhile, Esperon, who admitted being angry at the killing of Army intelligence officers in Jolo, urged everyone to refrain from fanning the fire concerning the incident.
“Huwag na natin gatungan yung nangyari doon (Let us not fan the flames over what has happened),” he said.
“Meron naman report na lalabas diyan (There will be a report coming out),” said Esperon who noted that that both the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) have agreed to have the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate the incident.