By Ben Rosario Responding to President Duterte’s call for the swift passage of a new human security law, the House of Representatives moved quickly to conduct plenary deliberation on House Bill (HB) No. 6875 proposing more restrictive anti-terrorism measures in the country. Reps. Narciso Bravo Jr. (NUP, Masbate) and Raul Tupas (NP, Iloilo) sponsored the measure that adopts en toto the Senate’s version of the Human Security Act. Bravo, chairman of the House committee on public order and safety, and Tupas, chairman of the House committee on defense and security, called on their colleagues to pass the measure that will repeal Republic Act (RA) No. 9372 or the Human Security Act of 2007. HB 6875 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 proposed stronger measures to contain terroristic activities in the country. Duterte ceritified it as an urgent administrative measure, stressing that immediate passage is necessary “to adequately and effectively contain the menace" of terrorism in the country. The bill defines terrorism as a crime of engaging in acts for the purpose of instilling fear and seriously destabilizing structures in the country through the following: - Causing death and serious bodily harm or injuries to any persons or endangers a person’s life; - Causing extensive damage or destruction to a government or public facility or public place, or private property; - Causing extensive interference, damage, or destruction to critical infrastructure. A provision of the existing law that imposes a P500 per day penalty for wrongful detention has also been scrapped under the new bill. HB 9372 consolidates seven bills filed by the following: Reps. Ruffy Biazon (NP, Muntinlupa City); Michael Odylon Romero (1Pacman Party-list); Jocelyn Tulfo (ACT CIS Party-list); Jericho Jonas Nograles (PBA Party-list) and Lianda Bolilia (NP, Batangas). The bill imposes the penalty of life imprisonment without the benefit of parole for acts of terrorism; planning, training, preparing, and facilitating the commission of terrorism; conspiracy to commit terrorism; recruitment to and membership in a terrorist organization; and providing material support to terrorism. The measure authorizes the surveillance of suspects and interception and recording of communications for 60 days, extendible for another 30 days. However, the bill also emphasizes the role of the Commission on Human Rights in ensuring that civil liberties and the basic human rights of suspects are protected. Bravo noted that despite being enforced for 13 years now, RA 9372 has failed to help address terroristic activities, mostly staged by extremist groups based in Mindanao. According to Bravo, only one person accused of terrorism had been successfully prosecuted under the current law. Bravo said the terror situation in the country has become a major cause of concern as Philippines now ranks ninth in the global terrorism index, in the company of known terrorist havens such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Syria, and Pakistan. “This bill aims to shield Fiipinos from living in a country that might become a haven for terrorism,” Bravo stated. Tupas addressed the concerns of human rights advocates who noted that the bill grants14 days of continued detention for suspected terrorists and accomplices. According to Tupas, the proposal is considered within the “moderate bracket” if compared to countries like Bangladesh that allows 15 days of detention without warrant of arrest; Pakistan, 30 days; and Singapore, 713 days. Tupas disclosed that unless Congress passes the measure before the deadline set by the international anti-money laundering watchdog Financial Action Task Force, the Philippines will face the “consequences” of being categorized among the countries that are high risk and "under non-cooperative jurisdiction.” This will result in economic sanctions that will affect the country’s financial and banking system.