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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Fifth petition vs. anti-terror law filed with SC

Fifth petition vs. anti-terror law filed with SC

Published Jul 8, 2020 01:20 pm

There are now five petitions lodged with the Supreme Court (SC) against the alleged unconstitutionality of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 that is set for enforcement on July 19.

(MANILA BULLETIN)

The fifth case was filed Wednesday morning by Rudolph Philip B. Jurado, former chief of the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC).

Like the four other cases, Jurado pleaded the SC to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) that will stop, in the meantime, the implementation of the new law.

Specifically, Jurado challenged Sections 4 and 29 of Republic Act No. 11479 on the definition of terrorism and the arrest of suspects without warrant and their prolonged detention, respectively.

The first four petitions were filed by the group of lawyer Howard Calleja and former education secretary Armin Luistro, Rep. Edcel C. Lagman, the group of Law Dean Mel Sta. Maria and several professors of the Far Eastern University (FEU), and the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives led by Bayan Muna Party-List Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate.

The petitioners in the first four cases also pleaded for a TRO.

Last Tuesday, the SC acted on the first four petitions by directing the Office of the President and several agencies under the Executive Department, and both Houses of Congress to comment on both the petitions and the pleas for TRO within 10 days from receipt of the resolution.

The SC also ordered the consolidation of the four cases with the petition filed by the group of Calleja and Luistro as the lead case.

It is expected that Jurado’s petition will be included in the consolidated cases.

Named respondents in Jurado’s petition are the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC), Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, National Security Adviser (NSA) Secretary Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Felimon Santos Jr., Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Archie Francisco Gamboa, the Senate of the Philippines and the House of Representatives.

Jurado told the SC that under Section 29 of RA 11479, a detainee can be held longer than the period provided for under the Rules of Court “as long as the law enforcement operatives need an extended period to ‘complete the investigation.’”

This means, he said, “persons can now be detained at extended periods even for non-criminal or non-terrorism related activities just because the law enforcement operatives have yet to conclude their investigation.”

Thus, the law “gives law enforcement operatives an unbridled excuse to hold a person beyond the periods laid down in Article 125 of the Revised Penal Code by simply saying that such extension is ‘necessary to complete their investigation’ without any assurances that such investigation will result in a finding of a perpetration of a terrorist-related activity.”

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