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| Ptr Joram tells protesters the 'terror bill' must be opposed because it seeks to silence the righteous - Migrante photo |
Hong Kong-based Filipino community leaders lambasted on
Sunday the Anti-Terrorism Bill that Congress passed recently, and called for
solidarity in fighting the measure, which is awaiting President Rodrigo
Duterte’s signature.
But even before the 4pm rally and noise barrage on Chater
Road began, male supporters of President Rodrigo Duterte believed to belong to
the Emilio Aguinaldo faction reportedly harassed the protest organizers led by United
Filipinos in Hong Kong.
Aside from hanging posters branding the activist groups as
New People’s Army members, the men approached the rally organizers arguing with
them over why they criticize the Duterte government despite all that he was
doing for the country.
The protesters, however, were not intimidated and asked the
intruders to keep to their side of the road, saying anyone is free to speak in
Hong Kong.
The Sunday ‘kalampagan’ (noise barrage) that started off as
an indictment of the mandatory collection of PhilHealth premium from overseas
Filipinos, has been expanded to include other national issues, such as the
Anti-Terror Bill.
One of the speakers against the pending legislation was Daisy
Mandap, a lawyer and editor of The SUN newspaper, who said the bill should not
have been passed at all since it was unconstitutional.
She explained any attempt to diminish rights provided under
the constitution is illegal, and should be condemned.
“Terror law talaga dapat ang itawag diyan dahil ang layon nito
ay takutin ang mga Pilipino para hindi na magreklamo,” Mandap said.
“Kaya kapag naipasa ang bill na iyan, wala nang reklamo laban
sa PhilHealth, kahit na may karapatan naman ang mga tao, may basehan naman ang
mga reklamo natin, dahil matatakot na lahat ang mga tao.”
Mandap said there was truth in Senate President Vicente
Sotto III’s remark that there will be no need to declare martial law when bill
is signed by Duterte because the anti-terrorism law is worse than martial law.
“Totoo naman. Kayong mga hindi nakaranas kung gaano kahirap
ang martial law, hindi nyo gugustuhin ang martial law sa Pilipinas,” Mandap
said, adding that many Filipinos, even journalists like her, suffered when the
late President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in September 1972.
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| Mandap says Congress should not have passed the bill because it is unconstitutional |
But she said the 1972 martial law was slightly better than what
could happen if the anti-terror bill was passed because Marcos at least tried
to establish a legal basis for its declaration.
In contrast, the anti-terrorism bill is patently illegal
because it violates a person’s right to due process. Under the anti-terrorism
bill, she said anyone can be arrested without a warrant and detained for up to
24 days on the orders of the judicial council, and not allowed to talk to
anyone, or to be taken to court by the arresting officers.
“Hindi puwedeng bawasan ang anumang karapatan na nakalagay
sa Konstitusyon. Itong Anti-Terrorism Law, binawasan niya ng sobra-sobra yung ating
mga karapatan,” Mandap said.
Among these are the freedom to speak, freedom to assemble,
freedom against illegal arrest or warrantless arrest. Mandap said the Duterte-appointed
judicial council, eight of its members being his cabinet men, will decide
whether a person is a terrorist.
Mandap said it is no wonder that many prominent people,
including lawyers, movie stars and even the highly-respected retired Supreme
Court Justice Antonio Carpio have come out openly to oppose the anti-terror
bill.
She warned that anyone who is branded as a terrorist by the
judicial council, like what Duterte supporters are accusing members of Migrante
and Gabriela of, can be thrown in jail and if convicted, sentenced to life in
prison without parole.
Mandap said an example of how the regime will use the
anti-terrorism law to attack press freedom is the conviction of Rappler chief
executive Maria Ressa of cyber-libel, along with researcher Reynaldo Santos Jr,
a week ago.
They were found guilty by a court under a 2012 law passed
four months after Rappler published an article about businessman Wilfrido Keng deemed
defamatory by a lower court judge. Keng did not file a complaint until 2017, a
year after Duterte was elected president.
Ressa faces up to six years in jail for her conviction, but she
has applied for bail pending appeal.
Another guest speaker, Pastor Joram Calimutan from the
Promotion of Church People’s Response, said the anti-terror bill must be
opposed because it seeks to silence the people into accepting the oppressive
dictates of the regime.
He urged the people not be afraid because for as long as
there is oppression, poverty and exploitation, the church people will fight and
speak up until God will reign on this world.
“So, brothers and sisters, friends and comrades, we must not
fear because terrorism is the weapon of the devil to keep us silent,” Rev Joram
said.
He urged the people to follow the example of Jesus Christ, who
he said was accused of being vengeful and blasphemous for his teachings and
crucified. But he was resurrected.
“We have no reason to be afraid of, for as long as we are
fighting for human dignity, for justice, and for the image and likeness of God,
we will persevere and we will triumph. Tayo ay magtatagumpay,” he said.
Dolores Balladares, Unifil chairwoman, blasted Duterte’s
supporters in Hong Kong, the Emilio faction in particular, for “terrorizing”
the protesters even before the anti-terror bill was signed by Duterte.
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| Pro-Duterte supporter (in white) heckled speakers at the protest but Ptr Joram calmed him down |
As she was speaking, one of the men who had been shouting on
the sidelines approached Ptr Calimutan and tried to argue with him, but the
cleric coolly explained the issues until the man, who was apparently drunk,
walked away.
Earlier, while the pastor was talking, the same man tried to
heckle him, saying the church should not interfere with politics, but several
women organizers managed to shoo him away.
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