LGUs, police push fast passage of Senate's anti-terrorism bill

Officials of local governments and the police have recently issued a resolution endorsing the immediate passage of the "long overdue" anti-terrorism bill in the Senate.

Governors, mayors, vice mayors, and close to 200 officials of the PNP, the National Police Commission, and the Department of Interior and Local Government have adopted the resolution during the just concluded National Forum on Internal Security and Counter-terrorism.

DILG Secretary Ronaldo Puno said these officials agreed that Senate Bill 2137, authored by Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, should be passed swiftly now to thwart effectively insurgency and terrorism at the community level.

"Insurgency and various threats to national security have remained to be the major obstacles to political and socio-economic development and stability in the country," Puno said.

Enrile's bill defines and imposes penalties against crimes of terrorism, and conspiring to commit terrorism. Its passage would back the new role of the police in the government's all-out war against this threat.

Enrile, for his part, was optimistic that the Senate would approve his bill before Congress goes on recess for the Christmas holidays. - Ferliza C. Contratista