ho's afraid of the Philippines Anti-Terrorism Law? Certainly not the terrorists since they can drive a 40 foot truck bomb through its wide open loopholes whilst their cunning above-ground allies even stand to make money off of the authorities for "false arrests." The Human Security Act of 2007 was signed into law today by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, but it's really just a big joke full of so-called "safeguards" the true nature of which are such as to render it almost useless for its stated purposes. Take a look, as a first example, at the last two sentences of the Human Security Act of 2007:After the publication required above shall have been done, the Act shall take effect two (2) months after the elections are held in May 2007.It's a PART-TIME law only that is AUTOMATICALLY SUSPENDED for three months of every election year. This means you cannot commit terrorist crimes during election time. On this first year of its passage it won't even come into effect until June -- six years after it was first promised to allies by the capitulationist President Arroyo (who has paid ransoms to the Abu Sayyaf, the Moro National Liberation Front, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Iraqi Al Qaeda terrorists, the Niger Delta terrorist kidnappers and God only knows who else).
Thereafter, the provisions of this Act shall be automatically suspended one month before and two months after the holding of any election.
This means for example, that the New People's Army can continue to terrorize every Philippine election by demanding that politicians pay large sums of cash for "Permits to Campaign" in areas where they maintain a sinister armed presence, and even large sums of cash for the newest form of communist extortion tactic -- "Permits to Win"!
In this ABSCBN News report, the Philippine National Police reports on Bicol politicians giving in to the extortionists in Red. In just four provinces, the NPA extorted 50 million pesos in such permits to campaign during the 2004 elections. No wonder Joma is living the good life under the enlightened welfare state and protection of the Dutch. To her credit, Loretta Ann Rosales of the Akbayan Party List, spoke out in Congress against the NPA terrorist extortion activities in NPA Extortion Is Alive and Kicking.
This law was worked over pretty good by Aquilino Pimentel and Jamby Madrigal who really put one over Juan Ponce Enrile by introducing so many amendments that in some ways makes the situation worse for the police and military authorities. Daily facing life-and-death struggles with both communist and Islamist terror organizations (the NPA, the Abu Sayyaf, the MNLF/MILF, Jemaah Islamiyah and Al Qaeda), they must now deal with "civil rights protection" provisions of the law, like that P500,000 peso a day FINE for erroneous arrests and incarceration. Of course, considering the fact that the law LIMITS TO THREE DAYS the time a person can be held on suspicion of terrorist activities (even though sponsors of the measure wanted thirty days), this theoretically imposes a 1.5 million peso limit on what could be a bonanza for civil rights lawyers and their clients.
Of course, leftist activists and their Main Stream Media pals have been howling and ululating for the public to arise in outrage over a law that seeks to interdict these organized crime syndicates pushing either a dictatorship of the proletariat or an Islamic theocracy. Though the general public is not biting, I see now that the real target of the propaganda campaign was Congress. The Left and its comrades have certainly delivered the bacon in this dumb, weak and utterly lame legislation.
Automatically suspending the anti-terrorism law for three months around election time strikes me as being not only plain stupid, but exposes the Law itself to mockery and charges of absurdity. The presence of this provision can only be used against the law itself as proof that it CAN be used against the political opposition, as alleged by the opposition and put in the law by the opposition. But who are really going to benefit from such an insane provision? You guessed it!
9 comments:
If there's a loophole for the Left, then there's also one for the goons and thugs who coincidentally wear military fatigues, ski masks, shoots and kills with MILITARY proficiency, and rides motorcycles, who prowl our streets unmercifully disposing of activists and labor/peasant leaders who are critiques of the Arroyo administration.
And what better time than elections?
Ricelander,
Long after GMA is gone, I daresay we shall still have the problem of communist terrorists and the jihadists, which I have defined as organized crime in the service of political or ideological ends.
Are we striving to be a nation of laws or a nation of men?
If you and the rest of the opposition insist that we must first have saints in power before we are to consider good, decent laws, then this is a hopeless country indeed!
Moral consistency upholds moral principles whether it is Hitler or (fill in the blanks with your favorite leader) in power.
i don't get the suspension, either. but i guess that's what you get for having a so called president who most people don't trust and is not credible.
OTOH, the arroyo admin doesn't need any anti-terror bill because it can pretty much do whatever it wants. tignan mo na lang ang nangyari kay comrade crispin beltran.
tignan nyo na lang yung tactics na ginagamit ng arroyo admin, and how the military is being politicized by this corrupt and illegitimate administration. even the bumbler erap didnt do this. even tabako ramos. dahil hindi sila insecure. and what happened was that humina ang NPAs during their time.
I wouldn't be surprised kung gamitin rin yang dirty tricks na yan in the future sa mga anti-arroyo crirics at opposition candidates na hindi makakaliwa.
hey, they got away with the big 2004 Swindle, hindi ba?
i don't get the suspension, either. but i guess that's the anti-terror bill we get for having a so called president who most people don't trust and is not credible. kung ginawa ng bush admin yung ginagawa ni arroyo admin, malamang hindi naipasa ang Patriot Act ng US.
OTOH, the arroyo admin doesn't need any anti-terror bill because it can pretty much do whatever it wants. tignan mo na lang ang nangyari kay comrade crispin beltran.
tignan nyo na lang yung tactics na ginagamit ng arroyo admin, and how the military is being politicized by this corrupt and illegitimate administration. even the bumbler erap didnt do this. even tabako ramos. dahil hindi sila insecure. and what happened was that humina ang NPAs during their time.
I wouldn't be surprised kung gamitin rin yang dirty tricks na yan in the future sa mga anti-arroyo crirics at opposition candidates na hindi makakaliwa.
hey, they got away with the big 2004 Swindle, hindi ba?
sori kung double post, pero nawala na yung delete function sa individual posts eh.
John,
These arguments are non sequitur. It was the congress leftists that put those amendments in the law. You are too hung up on GMA. As I said above, long after she is gone, terrorism will still be a problem.
She doesn't need an anti terrorism law to do the things she wants to do. Look at that argument above about Hitler. Any dictator can dispense with the Law, any law!
You can't criticize the law because of what a dictator might do with it!
In fact, my point is, this law will be used against the authorities more than against the terrorists.
Surely, you must admit that the NPA are terrorists!
How do you think the law will be used against the Opposition with that 500,000 fine hanging over the policemen's heads?
You've swallowed the leftist line.
These arguments are non sequitur. It was the congress leftists that put those amendments in the law.
sino sa kanila dito?
The anti-terrorism bill is co-authored by Senators Panfilo Lacson, Jinggoy Estrada, Ramon Magsaysay Jr., Alfredo Lim, Bong Revilla and Joker Arroyo.
hmmm... sino kaya sa kanila ang least hawkish? siguro yung kapatid nating si joker arroyo ano? eto kasi ang sinabi niya.
Anti-terror bill just a PR exercise--Senator Arroyo
BAGUIO CITY -- The anti-terror measure now awaiting President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's signature is a "public relations" ploy meant to please the United States and its allies, and so it should not hurt the campaign of the administration's senatorial slate, re-electionist Senator Joker Arroyo has said.
even lacson admitted na the anti terror bill might be rejected because it was "watered down"
You are too hung up on GMA. As I said above, long after she is gone, terrorism will still be a problem.
I don't trust her and her government. You, of all people should know why.
She doesn't need an anti terrorism law to do the things she wants to do. Look at that argument above about Hitler. Any dictator can dispense with the Law, any law!
You can't criticize the law because of what a dictator might do with it!
for me, she and her goons doesn't deserve the anti-terror bill.
In fact, my point is, this law will be used against the authorities more than against the terrorists.
well, katulad ng sinabi ni joker, napilitan lang silang ipasa ito just to make the US happy. it's really just for show. mas mabuti pa sana'y wala na lang naipasa na anti-terror bill, cuz arroyo and her military dagdag bawas operators and assassins don't deserve to be given such powers.
Surely, you must admit that the NPA are terrorists!
the NPAs are terrorist. the ABUS are terrorists. the JIs are terrorists. but bayan muna, akbayan, gabriela are not. unless arroyo decides to declare them as such.
How do you think the law will be used against the Opposition with that 500,000 fine hanging over the policemen's heads?
o, maganda naman pala yung naipasang bill eh? bakit mo pa sinisiraan yung bill na ito? lol.
You've swallowed the leftist line.
no, consistent ako. we need to kill or capture the NPAs, or make them surrender. but welcome the lefty party listers into the fold.
you're the one who's changed. at least dati, ipinagtatanggol mo pa si comrade crispin.
John,
We must defend Liberty, but as for her enemies, let Allah sort them out...
Ricelander,
What would Hitler have done with the Ten Commandments? Violate them right? So what are you saying, the Ten Commandments are invalid and oppressive because someone like Hitler or Joma are sure to violate them?
You cannot take a law, then set up a strawman villain to prove it is a good for nothing law.
As I keep saying, long after hated GMA is gone, this problem, and the need for a law will still be there.
If you want to wait for the leaders to be someone YOU like or trust, why do we even need laws at all??
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