Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Saturday, July 18, advised law enforcement agencies to wait for the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) before enforcing the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.
“It will be more prudent for law enforcement agents to await the promulgation of the IRR,” Guevarra said.
Despite this, Guevarra assured that law enforcement can implement the Anti-Terrorism Law if needed since it already took effect this Saturday, July 18.
“It may all depend on the actual circumstances on the ground,” the secretary pointed out.
“If the government has intelligence information that an ISIS(Islamic State of Iraq and Syria)-infiltrated group is about to blow up the MRT (Metro Rail Transit), our law enforcers will probably not wait for the promulgation of the IRR to take the appropriate action,” he cited as an example.
Otherwise, Guevarra said that “if there are no such imminent threats, it will really be more prudent to await the promulgation of the IRR.”
He explained there are “sections of the Anti-Terror Law that need to be fleshed with more detail for the guidance of everyone.”
The secretary said the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) will draft the IRR within 90 days in consultation with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
“Our team will meet soon to identify the provisions that need to be fleshed out with implementing details,” Guevarra disclosed.