DUTERTE DEFENDS ANTI-TERROR BILL SLAMMED BY BUSINESS GROUPS

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday told citizens not to fear a new anti-terrorism law, addressing for the first time the controversial legislation that has unnerved rights groups and at least eight business organizations over potential violations of civil liberties, Neil James Morales wrote for Reuters on July 8, 2020.

The mercurial leader last week signed the anti-terrorism bill, prompting rights groups to stage protests and lawyers to question the law before the Supreme Court.

"For the law-abiding citizen of this country, I am addressing you with all sincerity, do not be afraid if you are not a terrorist," he said in a televised national address mainly to update Filipinos on the coronavirus outbreak. In the past, Duterte, once a prosecutor in Davao City, admitted to manufacturing evidence to pin down suspects but critics said he never won a case during his stint as a prosecutor.

Those not planning to bomb churches and public utilities to derail the nation have nothing to fear, Duterte said, adding that communists are among the terrorists. The anti-terror law that he signed on July 3, 2020 has been attacked for not defining what “terrorism” and “terrorist” mean and for allowing an Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) to determine who should be arrested and detained longer than the universally-accepted 72 hours without judicial warrant, a clear invasion of the functions of the judiciary.