EIGHT business groups, the De La Salle brothers and the Jesuit priests of Ateneo have joined several other sectors in denouncing the railroading of a new anti-terrorism bill at the House of Representatives and voiced their opposition to some of the measure’s provisions.
In their joint statement issued Friday, June 5, the business groups said the proposed measure, Senate Bill 1083 and House Bill 6875, is “highly divisive - because it poses clear and present danger to human rights enshrined in our Constitution - at a time when our nation needs to come together as one.”
“We are all suffering and fighting for survival: businesses are closing down, people are losing their jobs, those who still hae jobs find it impossible to find safe transportation to work, our children are going hungry and the continuity of their education is under threat,” they stated.
The signatories were the Bishops-Businessmen’s Conference for Human Development, IT and Business Process Association in the Philippines, Investment House Association of the Philippines, Judicial Reform Initiative, Management Association of the Philippines, Makati Business Club, Philippine Business for Education, and Subdivision and Housing Developers Association.
They urged the country’s leaders and the private sector to instead focus on developing policies that will address the multiple socio-economic shocks caused by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, strengthen the health system and improve the investment climate to create more jobs.
“These are what our country needs to pull us out of our crisis and get back on our feet,” they said.