News Roundup 09 June 2020
Jun 09, 2020 • 3 min Read
DOJ vows ‘thorough review’ of constitutionality of anti-terrorism bill | PHILSTAR.COM – The Department of Justice will conduct a thorough look into the constitutionality of the controversial anti-terrorism bill, its Secretary Menardo Guevarra said, stressing that the promise of a review is “not a mere perfunctory statement.” “Our deadline will be set by the [Office of the President], but we’ll work in an internal timetable of 15 days, starting today,” Guevarra told reporters in a text message. Guevarra said that it is “standard practice to request comments from relevant agencies concerned.” “The Palace statement that the anti-terror bill will be reviewed is not a mere perfunctory statement. From my experience as a former senior deputy executive secretary, I know that all enrolled bills are carefully scrutinized with the help of the relevant executive agencies before they are submitted to the president for appropriate action,” he added.
Philippines’ COVID-19 cases nearing the 23,000-mark | INQUIRER.NET – The Department of Health (DOH) reported 518 new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases on Tuesday, for a total of 22,992. Of the new cases, 280 were “fresh” or those patients whose test results were released within the last three days while 238 cases were “late” reports. A total of 4,736 have so far recovered from the viral illness while 1,071 died, the DOH said.
Bishops say proposed anti-terror law ‘detrimental’ to citizens’ rights | Manila Bulletin – The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines – Committee on Basic Ecclesial Communities (CBCP-BEC) has added its voice to the growing opposition to the anti-terror bill which is just awaiting President Duterte’s signature. In a statement, the CBCP-BEC cited several provisions in the bill which they said are reprehensible and can be detrimental to the rights of citizens, especially those residing in grassroots communities. As an example, it cited how the new anti-terror bill does not clearly define what “terrorism” is. The group also said any military personnel or law enforcement agent can wiretap and “overhear and listen to, intercept, screen, read” any “communications, discussions, data, information, messages” from any available technology for any “suspected terrorist”. “With the development in technology, these are easily accessible. In itself, this is a clear violation of a person’s right to privacy,” read the statement signed by CBCP-BEC Chairperson Bishop Jose A. Cabantan. The CBCP-BEC said the Anti-Terror Council (ATC) can also order arrest by a mere finding of “probable cause” without a warrant of arrest from a legitimate court. “One can be arrested without charges up to 14 days, and can still be extended to 10 more days, as the law enforcers continue to build up the case,” it said. With the danger of weaponizing the law against critics and other vulnerable population like the drug addicts and poor farmers and lumad, the CBCP-BEC said, all the above loopholes in the Act can easily be wielded by people in power for their own interests and benefits. It added that the proposed law brings back the memory of the BEC leaders and members whose rights were “violated, some of them disappeared and some were killed, during that repressive rule of the dictatorship in the past.” “We also pray that they prioritize those things that are truly needed for the nation’s recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and not those that please the hunger for power of those in office,” read the statement.
Govt limits participants in Independence Day rites in Manila to 10 | The Manila Times – The government allowed the celebration of Independence Day at Rizal Park in Manila on June 12 but put a cap on the number of people attending the event, Malacañang said on Tuesday. Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said the decision to limit to 10 the maximum number of participants for the Independence Day rites was reached by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases during the meeting on Monday.
