‘Siege’ on Duterte turf triggers panic; tougher sanctions vs cyberterrorism eyed

From the Business Mirror (Nov 28): ‘Siege’ on Duterte turf triggers panic; tougher sanctions vs cyberterrorism eyed

A pre-dawn raid on Monday on a New People’s Army (NPA) safehouse triggered a scare and sowed panic among residents here, as they reposted and shared supposed accounts of an encounter and labeled these as yet another attempt by the Maute Group to lay siege to the home turf of President Duterte reminiscent of what transpired in Marawi City last year.

At the Senate, the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs is mulling over the passage of remedial legislation imposing tougher penalties not just against those who commit terrorist acts, but also expands its coverage to include “those who abuse social media and money transfer services” to further terrorist ends, according to the panel chairman, Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson Sr. He also confirmed members of his committee are “studying the inputs on the issues” raised at the committee hearing on anti-terrorism legislation.

Many schools in the southern suburbs in Davao suspended regular classes early afternoon and students were told to go straight home as parents milled outside the school gates to demand access to their children as Facebook posts popped up panic messages about the Maute Group staging a repeat of the violent and devastating siege of Marawi City a year ago.

The police later posted an account of the predawn raid it jointly conducted with the military at a former beach resort turned slum area in Talomo, some 10 kilometers west of downtown.

It said the raid was intended to serve an arrest warrant of a guerrilla leader bearing the nom de guerre Jeffrey, alleged commander of the NPA Pulang Bagani Command, which is known to operate in the northern hinterlands of the city.

The Davao City Police Office said the target of the joint military and police operation was a house in Purok 10, Talomo Cemento, formerly the popular public Victorio Beach Resort. The raid was conducted at 1:30 a.m. but it said the raiding and arresting team appeared to have been detected.

The police said the team of Jeffrey shot it out with the arresting team and hurled grenades as they fled the area.

Police Chief Supt. Marcelo Morales, the regional police chief, said Jeffrey was wanted for murder, serious illegal detention, robbery in band, and attempted murder.

He said the NPA guerrillas escaped in the dark through the cramped alleys and houses in what was once a beach resort.

There was no casualty from the government side during the encounter. Police recovered an M16-A1 rifle with a magazine loaded with 20 bullets and another spare short magazine loaded with 16 bullets. Operatives also found five pieces of Claymore mines and two improvised explosives.

Police power vs. terror

“WE must be clear,” Lacson said. “The State must take immediate action in the exercise of its exercise of its police powers to address the threat of terrorism.”

Lacson, however, affirmed that his committee will “make sure such provisions do not violate the constitutional rights to freedom of speech and freedom of expression.”

He clarified that this is “in the context of the State dealing with terrorism, and as such it needs immediate action in the exercise of its police powers to abate terrorism.”

This, even as Atty. Marwil Llasos of the Institute of International Legal Studies informed the committee during the hearing that social media has been used as a means of radicalization. Anything harmful to public safety and public order can be regulated by the state, he added. Moreover, Llasos noted law-enforcement agencies like the National Bureau of Investigation can take down social-media accounts for offenses such as cyberlibel.

The committee, likewise, learned other countries also have the authority to shut down social-media accounts deemed inimical to the national interest.

The Lacson committee indicated they are also keen to study another issue brought up during the hearing involving the potential “use of money transfer services to finance terrorist activities.”

At the same time, Lacson asserted the need for a mechanism in the Executive department that would keep President Duterte updated on terrorist threats.

“In the United States, the President receives a daily executive brief,” the senator said, adding: “There is need for a regular update to allow quick analysis, submitted on a regular basis. If not daily, at least weekly or monthly, to assist in the decision-making process.”

He explained that such a mechanism can also avoid repeat of the problems encountered by authorities in the 2001 Dos Palmas incident, where the Abu Sayyaf abducted 20 hostages at the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan.

Lacson, who headed the Philippine National Police from 1999 to 2001, filed Senate Bill 1956 seeking to enhance the Human Security Act of 2007 with provisions on foreign terrorists and aditional predicate crimes, after noting that “gaps in the law prevented authorities from implementing it properly.”

https://businessmirror.com.ph/siege-on-duterte-turf-triggers-panic-tougher-sanctions-vs-cyberterrorism-eyed/