By Carlos H. Conde
International Herald Tribune
Published: March 6, 2007

MANILA: President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed an anti-terrorism bill into law on Tuesday, saying that the legislation would bring the Philippines’ campaign against terrorists to a “higher level.”

The law, the Human Security Act of 2007, is expected to bolster U.S.-supported efforts against Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asian terror network

For years, Manila and its Western allies have been calling for legislation that would strengthen the government’s ability to crack down on terrorist activity. However, legislators have been hampered by concerns that such a law would open the door for human rights abuses by the police and the military. In the end, the lawmakers settled on a compromise bill that included various safeguards.

In a speech Tuesday, Arroyo sought to allay fears that the law would lead to abuses against anti-government campaginers. The law, she said, was a weapon against terrorists, not protesters.

“The anti-terror law is a landmark in the battle against evil waged by all freedom-loving Filipinos and allies in the world,” she said.

The law defines terrorism as an act that seeks to create a “condition of widespread and extraordinary fear and panic among the populace, in order to coerce the government to give in to an unlawful demand.”

Under the law, a person convicted of terrorism would be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. Any group or person suspected of supporting terrorists could also be brought to court under the law, their bank assets frozen or confiscated.

Legislators said they had made sure that safeguards were in place to prevent abuse of the law. It will only come into effect after May 14 elections, ensuring that it would not be used against political opponents of the administration.

Another safeguard is a shorter time limit for the detention of suspects without charges — three days, as opposed to an earlier proposal of one month. A detained suspect who later turns out to be innocent can sue the government for up to 500,000 pesos, or more than $10,000, for each extra day of detention. The law also bans rendition, the process of sending suspects to other countries for interrogation.

An Anti-Terrorism Council will be formed to oversee the implementation of the law. Electronic surveillance can only be done after an authorization by the council and approval by a division of the Court of Appeals.

Aquilino Pimentel Jr., the senator who introduced several of the amendments, said safeguards like these would force the authorities to be careful in their conduct.

“It’s not the perfect law we originally envisioned, but it is acceptable,” said Ignacio Bunye, the presidential spokesman.

Despite the safeguards, some campaigners say the law remains open to abuse, particularly a provision that allows the government to name any group or person as a terrorist.

Satur Ocampo, a leftist leader, said it was conceivable for the government to label a legal action, like an anti-government demonstration, as a terrorist activity. The law, he said Tuesday, provided “an entire arsenal of tools that the Arroyo government can use to silence and crush all manner of resistance.”