Palace renews call for Congress to pass anti-terror bill

Malacañang called on Congress anew yesterday to pass the anti-terrorism bill to give more support to the government’s campaign against terrorism.

Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said lawmakers should now "rise above" the current political situation and find time to tackle the mothballed anti-terrorism proposal which has been pending in the House of Representatives since the 12th Congress.

"The threat of terrorism does not sleep and our campaign is, and should be, relentless and steadfast," Bunye said.

He said the Philippines remains the only country that has not enacted a law to address the menace of terrorism.

Bunye said the current criminal laws "lack the teeth" to address the new forms of terror.

Bunye pointed out the absence of a strong anti-terror law will make the country more vulnerable to both homegrown and foreign acts of terrorism.

Under existing laws, law enforcers may only hold suspected terrorists for three days or 36 hours within which they must file charges against the suspects, otherwise release them.

At present, suspected terrorists may only be charged as common criminals.

"Most of the cases we could file against terrorists are bailable, so it is possible that the suspect who is released after a few days in prison would be the same person who would commit a terrorist act following his release on bail," Bunye said.

Bunye pointed out that the absence of a strong anti-terror law has made the country more vulnerable to both homegrown and foreign terrorists.

In her State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 25, President Arroyo had called on Congress to act expeditiously in passing the anti-terrorism bill.

The move to resurrect the anti-terrorism measure was spurred by the Aug. 10 bombings in Zamboanga City.

Authorities said there are indications that the Indonesian-based Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terror network was behind the blasts with the help of the Abu Sayyaf.

The Abu Sayyaf claimed responsibility for this year’s simultaneous Valentine’s Day bombings in Makati City, General Santos and Davao cities in which 12 people were killed and at least 123 wounded.

The first anti-terrorism bill was filed in 1996 but it died in Congress after human rights groups attacked the proposal as restrictive of civil liberties.

The new version of the anti-terror bill proposes wiretap operations, freezing of bank accounts of suspected individuals and terror groups, along with the creation of a national identification system.

The anti-terrorism bill was among the measures Malacañang wanted Congress to prioritize, citing the lack of a law that could address the global scourge. — Aurea Calica