Dumaan ito sa bigating abogado! Ping maintains anti-terror bill no legal patsy

Contrary to repeated claims the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 was rushed and vaguely worded, the measure had gone through a gauntlet of legal experts, Sen. Panfilo Lacson maintained Friday night.

Lacson said the measure, which he sponsored in the Senate, underwent review and interpellation by legal heavyweights in both houses of Congress – as well as their legislative staffs and researchers.

“A lawyer is only as good as his researchers. All six lawyers in my staff did their research and consultations with experts since 2018 after all the anti-terror bills filed by several senators were referred to my committee. All my lawyer-colleagues who interpellated did the same,” he said in a post on his Twitter account.

A lawyer is only as good as his researchers. All 6 lawyers in my staff did their research and consultations with experts since 2018 after all the anti-terror bills filed by several senators were referred to my committee. All my lawyer-colleagues who interpellated did the same.

— PING LACSON (@iampinglacson) June 19, 2020

In an earlier statement, Lacson pointed out the bill underwent heavy scrutiny from his Senate colleagues who are lawyers, and who have lawyers and researchers in their staffs.

Lacson noted Section 29 of the bill, which is now the focus of so many challenges on its constitutionality, is merely a restatement of the same provision in Republic Act 9732 which was originally proposed by Sen. Franklin Drilon.

Drilon’s provision was accepted by an equally great legal mind in Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, then principal sponsor of the 2007 Human Security Act.

That provision was voted favorably upon by other legal luminaries in the previous Senate such as the late Senators Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Miriam Defensor-Santiago, and Senators Richard Gordon and Pia Cayetano.

The same Section 29 underwent similar scrutiny in the ensuing bicameral conference with the House panel, includeing the late Rep. Simeon Datumanong, former DOJ secretary; Reps. Douglas Cagas, Louie Villafuerte, Antonio Cuenco, Edcel Lagman, and Teddy Boy Locsin Jr., now DFA secretary.

Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)