Makabayan solons seek repeal of anti-terror law

Progressives reiterate their demand for the scrapping of Terror Law. (Photo by Carlo Manalansan / Bulatlat)

Published on Jul 6, 2025

Last Updated on Jul 6, 2025 at 3:09 pm

BULACAN — In time for the fifth year of implementation of the Anti-Terror Law, Makabayan bloc lawmakers ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio and Kabataan party-list Rep. Renee Co filed the House Bill No. 1272 seeking to repeal the Republic Act No. 11479 known as the “Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020” on Thursday, July 3.

Makabayan bloc said this law has been used to silence dissenters.

“In those five years, the law has been wielded as a weapon against critics, activists, journalists, teachers, students, indigenous peoples, and ordinary citizens who dare to speak truth to power,” Makabayan stated in a Facebook post. “It is time to end the reign of fear, silence, and repression.”

In 2020, amid the coronavirus health crisis, the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), which was tagged as ‘urgent’ by then President Rodrigo Duterte, was passed by Congress on June 3 and signed into law a month later on July 3. It took effect on July 18 of the same year.

The ATA which replaced the Human Security Act of 2007 or the Republic Act No. 9372, imposes a penalty of life imprisonment on individuals found guilty of threatening, planning, training, facilitating, proposing, and inciting to terrorism.

The Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) whose members are appointed by the executive implements the law and authorizes the detention of suspects even without a warrant of arrest for up to 24 days, significantly longer than the three days limit applied to most other offenses.

Read: The terror inside the Anti-Terror Law

On July 3, various groups held a protest in front of the Department of Justice calling to abolish the “twin terror law”: Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 2020 and the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act (TFPSA) of 2012.

Rights group recognized patterns of how these laws were weaponized to intimidate government critics.

“Many individuals have been detained, while numerous cases against them were later dismissed due to insufficient evidence,” Maria Sol Taule, deputy secretary-general of Karapatan, said.. “False witnesses were even used to incriminate activists.”

Taule added that human rights violators are the real terrorists. “The real terrorist is Duterte, who killed thousands of poor people in the name of the war on drugs, and Duterte who killed activists,” said Taule. “The real terrorist is Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who continues to violate human rights. They are the real terrorists, not the people who are fighting for their rights.”

Rev. Glofie Baluntong, a church worker serving indigenous communities in Mindoro who was slapped with ATA charges, has also called on the government to end its attacks against the church and its people.

The charges against Baluntong were dismissed two years ago due to insufficient evidence.

Read: Clergywoman slapped with trumped-up charges for standing with the indigenous peoples

According to the monitoring of human rights group Karapatan, at least 227 individuals have already been charged with violating the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act (TFPSA), using “vague or patently baseless accusations.”

“The ATA and TFPSA pose direct threats to freedom of expression, freedom of association, and the right to due process,” Karapatan said in a statement. “No society that claims to be democratic can thrive under the shadow of fear and repression created by these laws.” (RVO)