The Filipino people have been badly bruised so far by three repressive measures – the calibrated preemptive response policy (CPR), which discarded the maximum tolerance policy in dealing with protest actions; Presidential Proclamation No. 1017, which declared a “state of national emergency” throughout the country; and Executive Order No. 464, which prevented cabinet-level officials from testifying in congressional investigations without clearance from Malacañang. These measures took their toll on a people already reeling from a spate of political killings that has been continuous since 2001. The recent passage of the Anti-Terrorism Bill, also known as the Human Security Act – which defines “terrorism” so broadly that even legal opposition and mass protests may be classified as “acts of terrorism” – is like a bomb that threatens to bring about a total breakdown of all semblances of democratic space in the Philippines.
Salungguhit literally means to underline; figuratively, to underscore or highlight.
