Palace assures human rights, civil liberties with terror law in effect

With the Human Security Act taking effect Sunday, Malacañang reiterated the government’s assurances that human rights and civil liberties will be protected.

Republic Act No. 9372, also known as An Act to Secure the State and Protect Our People from Terrorism, "enhances the safety and domestic security of our country by giving us more legal power to prosecute those who commit any acts of terror on our people," Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye said in his weekly column, View from the Palace, on Monday.

"The law empowers enforcers to crush the terrorist movement in the country and to transform our nation’s response to political violence, while at the same time ensuring that civil rights are protected," he added.

Bunye, who is also the Presidential Spokesman, pointed out that with the HSA in place, suspected terrorists in police custody cannot just post bail only to commit another terroristic act.

He cited the gruesome Davao City Airport bombing on March 4, 2003 wherein the prime suspect in the bloody attack was allowed to post bail due to a legal technicality.

"At the time of the Davao Airport bombing incident, we still had no Human Security Act. The police nabbed a suspect whom they charged with illegal possession of firearms. The suspect eventually bailed himself out, only to commit another act of terrorism by perpetuating the North Cotabato bombing," Bunye said.

"The law’s message is clear: if you are armed and kill civilians, you will be prosecuted. If you are a communist terrorist, religious terrorist or even a rogue element of our police or military, you will be stopped," he said.