FOUR more petitions challenging the constitutionality of the controversial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 were filed before the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday, July 23, 2020.
These brought the total number of petitions filed against the new anti-terror law at the SC to 15.
The 12th petition was filed by framers of the 1987 Constitution, seven lawmakers, and three human rights defenders, who said the law removes several constitutional powers of the high tribunal.
Journalists Ceres Doyo, Lilibeth Frondoso, Chay Hofileña, Rachel Khan, Jo-Ann Maglipon, John Nery, Beatrice Puente, Maria Ressa, and Maritess Vitug as well as former Senate secretary Lutgardo Barbo and law professor Chel Diokno were also among the petitioners.
In a 73-page petition, they asked the Supreme Court to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) or a preliminary injunction or both, while the case is pending, to halt the implementation of the law, including the crafting of the implementing rules and regulations.
“Ostensibly meant to serve the narrow and specific state policy of fighting terrorism, the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 nevertheless hands to government a sledgehammer, a blunt instrument that may easily be wielded to batter down the constitutional guardrails protecting the freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of the press and the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances, and ultimately, terrorize the sovereign people into silence and servility,” their petition read.
Human rights activist Edmundo “Ed” Guidote Garcia, who was one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution, was also among the petitioners.
According to Garcia, the new law undermines freedom of speech granted by the 1987 Constitution.
“It threatens free speech and strikes fear into the hearts of those who may wish to organize and mobilize peaceably to seek redress of their grievances. It will inhibit those who dare speak truth to power, and could curtail legitimate democratic debate leading to self-censorship,” he said.
The 13th petition was filed by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) with National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera.
The petitioners also asked the SC to issue a TRO to stop the implementation of the new anti-terror law.
“There is both urgency and necessity for the assurance of such TRO or writ in the context of human rights violations and the imminent danger to the life and security of herein petitioner and of all Filipinos,” the group said.
Several youth groups including student organizations from the De La Salle University (DLSU), Ateneo, University of Santo Tomas (UST), and University of the Philippines-Diliman (UPD) filed the 14th petition against the anti-terror law.
The group said the constitutionality of the anti-terror law “does nothing more than to dress government abuse with cloak of legality.”
“Youth petitioners are duty-bound to fight for the protection of their rights, and they are constrained to resort to the Honorable Court to seek redness, hoping, perhaps tpp idealistically, that their rightful qualms would be heard,” the group said.
“Youth petitioners implore the Honorable Court to strike down this latest attempt to use the law as a means to further suppress potential dissents and gag the Filipino people into submission,” they added.
The Bangsamoro, which filed the 15th petition against the law, asked that Sections 4, 15, 16,17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 25, 29, 30, 34, 38, and 56 of the anti-terror law be declared unconstitutional.
“Considering the foregoing, and to prevent any other injury which will certainly be brought about by pending implementation of RA 11479, petitioners respectfully prays that a Status Quo Ante Order be issued by the Honorable Supreme Court,” their petition read. (SunStar Philippines)