![]() He explained his concern that “the definition of terrorism is overbroad and could encompass the exercise of constitutional rights.” These blanket labels are what most bother critics of the Anti-Terror Law, which they say can justify circumventing judicial processes.Ī record 37 petitions against the law were filed at the Supreme Court toward the end of last year.Īttorney Neri Colmenares was one of the lead opponents of the law. In the last six years under Duterte, it has become commonplace for authorities to tag government critics as terrorists, communists, rebels, or all of the above. The Philippines has transitioned seamlessly from President Rodrigo Duterte to Marcos Jr., with few hopes of an improvement on the human rights front. Days later, the state ordered the shutdown of online news giant Rappler, in yet another worrying sign for press freedom. On June 28, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, invoking Anti-Terror Law provisions, ordered the closure of 27 websites, including two alternative media outfits. They have been added to the long list of enforced disappearances in the country. All of them are members of organizations that have been consistently been tagged as enemies of the state. On July 3, four activists in Metro Manila went missing. ![]() To most however, she is known for her advocacy against a hydropower project backed by tycoon Enrique Razon, a Marcos ally. ![]() The military claims Macapanpan is a terrorist and high-ranking official of the Communist Party. ![]() In the same period, longtime environmentalist Daisy Macapanpan was dragged out of her home without a warrant in broad daylight by fully armed soldiers. Marcos Jr., who made himself head of the Department of Agriculture, was deafeningly mum on the issue, which involved a land dispute. formally assumed power, 91 activists and supporters were arrested after engaging in “ bungkalan ” – cultivation work done to assert land ownership – in Tarlac province, with charges filed against 83. In mid-June, a couple of weeks before Marcos Jr. Tuazon also mentioned the Marcos family’s restoration to power as having a chilling effect, practically encouraging impunity.Įnjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific. will respond with an iron hand, including the full force of the Anti-Terror Law.” Diplomat Brief Weekly Newsletter N “The country’s economic and political conditions are so dire that anti-government protests are inevitable, probably leading to political instability. “The Anti-Terror Law is enough of a shield against political opponents,” said public policy expert Bobby Tuazon of the Center for People’s Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG). There is another tool at the government’s disposal: the Anti-Terror Law, which was passed in July 2020 and affirmed as constitutional by the Supreme Court in April of this year. Recent events suggest there might not be a need to declare all-out Martial Law for the new administration to achieve the same results. has consistently said of Martial Law, “ It has its place but it is only for war.” has expressed, many times, admiration for his father’s reign, calling it a “golden age” and lauding it for supposedly thrusting the Philippines into “modernity.” He has also been plagued by questions as to whether he intends to copy his father’s iron-fisted rule by repeating the Martial Law period. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the late dictator’s son and the Philippines’ new president, hasn’t done his family reputation any favors since his tenure formally began on June 30. ![]() President Ferdinand Marcos presided over the Martial Law period in the 1970s and 1980s, which saw the civil liberties of tens of thousands of people routinely violated by state forces. The Marcos family doesn’t have the best record with regard to human rights in the Philippines. ![]()
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