Monday, July 20, 2020

Anti-terror law Duterte's biggest contribution to PH security

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 20, 2020): Anti-terror law Duterte's biggest contribution to PH security (By Priam Nepomuceno)



The enactment of the anti-terrorism law is one of the biggest contributions of the Duterte administration to the country's defense and security, Department of Defense spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said on Monday.

The new law, signed by President Rodrigo Duterte last July 3, allows a more stable and peaceful environment needed for the country's development, he said.

"The enactment of the Anti-Terror Law will provide a solid and secure foundation to establish a stable and peaceful environment which will jumpstart national development and finally achieve a comfortable life for all Filipinos," Andolong said.

The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 or Republic Act 11479 repeals RA 9372 or the Human Security Act of 2007. It seeks the detention of suspected terrorists for up to 24 days sans a warrant of arrest.

Earlier, Senator Panfilo Lacson, author of the measure, credited Duterte for his strong political will in signing the “landmark legislation” that seeks to boost the country’s drive against terrorism.

“Much credit goes to PRRD. With all the pressure coming from different directions against the signing of the Anti-Terrorism Bill into law, at the end of the day, it is his strong political will that mattered most,” he said.

It also allows a 60-day surveillance with an allowable 30-day extension that can be conducted by the police or the military against suspected terrorists.

The law also imposes a 12-year jail term on a person who voluntarily or knowingly joins a terrorist organization.

Andolong also said other Duterte contributions to the country's security include the whole-of-nation approach in creating lasting peace, the National Defense Strategy which ensured the protection of the Filipino people and the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Part of this is the establishment of the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and the implementation of the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).

The NTF ELCAC came into being after Duterte signed Executive Order 70 on December 4, 2018, which institutionalizes the whole-of-nation approach against communist insurgency.

While E-CLIP is the flagship program of the Duterte administration that seeks to effect social healing and national unity and provides social equity to former members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front and the Militia ng Bayan by devising a different modality of giving benefits and services to the former rebels, in order to reintegrate them into mainstream society.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1109439

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