Former IV of Spades frontman Unique Salonga with poet/song-writer Toni Panagu and Rian Simon Magtaan, writer/film maker (Photo by Rein Tarinay / Bulatlat)

Lions and Acrobats’ vocalist Icoy Rapadas and She’s Only Sixteen’s vocalist Roberto Seña (Photo by Rein Tarinay / Bulatlat)

By REIN TARINAY
Bulatlat.com

MANILA – Independent artists were among those who took the streets on Thursday, June 3, to protest the looming passing of the Anti-Terror bill.

“We can be arrested on mere suspicion. That’s the most tragic in that bill. Regardless if you trust the government and its state forces or not, you cannot give them absolute authority on that. You do not want to give them the opportunity to abuse power. It is important that laws have checks and balances,” said Lions and Acrobats’ vocalist Icoy Rapadas in an interview with Bulatlat.

The anti-terror bill has drawn flak from artists, who used their respective online platforms to call out the Duterte administration.

Read: More celebrities call for junking of terror bill

As of this writing, the bill is up for President Duterte’s signature.

Rapadas said, “What use is our democracy if we will not speak out? We all have to make our voices heard.”

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