The Anti-Terrorism Bill
Written by Stephanie Flores, OFTP Community
To whoever is reading this, I hope you are having a good day.
What you are about to read, contains pure facts as well as my personal statements regarding the Anti-Terrorism Bill.
If you are one of my family members, relatives, close friends or someone who follows my social media accounts, you are quite aware that I prefer to keep my political thoughts to myself. I am an opinionated person, just like the rest of you, yet many times I have refused to let my opinions be heard because I fear judgement and I thought that it won’t make a difference anyway.
…and that I admit is one of the biggest mistakes I have made in my life, and I don’t intend to commit the same mistake again. Not now, not ever. This is why I am writing this.
The Anti-Terrorism Bill according to the government is an opposition to terrorism. However, analyzing the bill and the “violations” that one can make, it is very evident that their intentions for passing the bill isn’t for those who wish to terrorize the country, but for activists, critics and anyone who intends to oppose the system and the government.
According to the bill, you can be arrested without a warrant of arrest because you are a suspected terrorist. Authorities can have access to your daily whereabouts; they can meddle with your personal businesses, and can even keep a record of your phone calls and the like because you are a suspected terrorist. Furthermore, just by sharing your sentiments or even sharing “memes” on social media about the government or the senate can make you a suspected terrorist and lead to a possibility of you being arrested.
What happened to the 1987 Philippine Constitution? What happened to Article III Section 4, which states that “No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.”? What happened to our right to life, right to freedom and our right to privacy? This Anti-Terrorism Bill is unconstitutional and clearly repeals human rights.
“kung hindi ka naman terorista wala kang dapat ikatakot”
Just recently, police arrested seven (7) activists in the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu campus for peacefully protesting to #JUNKTERRORBILLNOW. Those who were nabbed by the authorities were engaging in a legal and peaceful protest. Later on, members of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) together with the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team arrived and violently dispersed the ongoing protest; chasing protesters and even trespassing in the university’s campus. The CCPO then brought the arrested individuals to the headquarters to file charges against them for violating quarantine protocols. How are they arrested for participating in a LEGAL protest and allegedly “violating quarantine protocols” but the PNP officer who hosted a birthday gathering a month prior to this, with more than fifty (50) attendees while the Enhanced Community Quarantine was still ongoing, not filed with any charges by the Malacanang because “his COVID-19 programs are very valuable and he cannot be replaced”?
The police arrested civilians, who were protesting against the approval of the Anti-Terrorism Bill. They are activists, mere individuals who want change in the society, yet they are arrested because for the police, protesting is an act of terrorism. Now tell me, is this bill really for terrorists? This just shows how far their efforts can go to completely silence the dissent of the people.
“bakit pa kasi kailangan mag-post pwede namang manahimik ka nalang”
Activism is not, and will never be an act of terrorism. People protest because they want change, people rally because of injustice and oppression. Anyone, who is informed of the current situation of our country, will definitely be enraged. Fighting for your rights, standing up for equality, and acting for change is not terrorism. We should have every right to speak up because no one else will do it for us. Thousands and thousands of people out there are being oppressed and many voices are being silenced, which gives us more reason to keep fighting. No one, not even the government can take that right away from us.
Staying silent on an issue like this, is your choice. With the help of technology, we already have easy access to current issues that are present in our society. People talk about it all the time through social media, it is often discussed in the news, it is in the headline of the newspapers and such; to keep it simple, it is present everywhere. Everything is already there, your job is just to spare some time to read and understand the information given to you. You are already being spoon-fed, leaving you no excuse to not take part in doing anything. Again, staying silent on current issues is your choice, but will you do it?
You are a Filipino; a citizen of this country, and believe me or not we are all being oppressed by this system, by our own government. We are all being silenced, our rights are being violated, and our well-being is neglected. Now tell me, is this the time to be silent? Is this the right time for us to ignore political issues? If you are still apolitical at this point, and if you still stand neutral in situations like this, you are standing with the oppressors.
Amidst this, we are in the middle of a pandemic, a global crisis, and statistically speaking, for the past months, our country has not been doing well in its aim to flatten the curve. Up to this date, less than 10% of the country has been tested for COVID-19. Where are the promised 30,000 tests a day? Recently, it was even said that the government really did not have a plan for mass testing and that they are leaving it up to private sectors, businesses and organizations to take initiative for the country’s long awaited plea for mass testing. For almost four months, we have not heard at least one concrete plan from the government. Ironically, on the 1st of June, the Enhanced Community Quarantine was lifted and several parts of the country were already placed under General Community Quarantine where travel restrictions eased. However, with the number of COVID positive cases increasing day by day, and reaching the 20,000th mark, we are being left behind. We are on our own now.
Thousands are negatively impacted by this crisis. Due to the quarantine policies, businesses were forced to close, leaving its employees no choice but to look for possible jobs that can operate even with the quarantine. Losing their source of income, some are unable to provide for their families. Meanwhile, in the less fortunate areas of the country, they are mostly depending on their government for relief and aid. Many are starving, thousands are dying, and people are hungry for change yet the government is turning their back on the people. It is so ironic how they were able to process the Anti-Terrorism Bill so fast, with the president even declaring it as an “urgent” matter instead of prioritizing mass testing and using the money that we have for a good cause. Instead of hearing out the cries of the poor, they shut them out. While the activists use their voices to speak up, they are silenced; and as the people protest and beg for change, they are arrested, and some are ordered dead. All the aforementioned issues are still ongoing up to this date. The government took advantage of this pandemic; however, this crisis revealed before our eyes, the incompetence of this government.
“ayokong mainvole sa ganyan, hindi rin naman ako apektado ‘dyan”
Once the Anti-Terrorism Bill in the Philippines is passed, it will change the life of every Filipino, forever. No one will be exempted from the consequences that it will bring. If this bill is approved, not only will our human rights be violated, but injustice, inequality, and oppression between us citizens and those in power will never end and will continue on from generation to generation.
We are being silenced because they know the power of every word we speak. Now is the time to use your voices. Now more than ever, is when you need to fight for yourself, for your rights, and for what you believe in. We will not be silenced by anyone because we deserve to be heard.
Fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, speak for those who are silenced, and seek justice for the oppressed.
Use your voices but keep safe and stay vigilant.
